"No," Mera translated quietly the harshly spoken words of Councillor Chianba, "We allowed him to speak in the transmission, but these halls are ancient and sacred. We are not ready to break any more traditional rules for Earth People."

Chianba gave Jason an angry look. "Not even for the princess's heart," Mera finished Chianba's speech. There was a hint of anger now in Mera's voice, as well, but also hesitation by the last part.

Heart.

It was the second time he was called that. He couldn't help but smile, for this sounded much better than boyfriend or partner.

The council halls were indeed impressive. The ancient but neatly built stones told of their age. Hieroglyphs and flamboyant drawings were found on every wall. The only indication that the society using those buildings was of modern technology, were the soft vibrations Jason could feel by touching the walls. The control panels were almost invisible, but the artificial intelligence that operated the energy systems was any way working mostly with voice entry. Jason learned that the receivers could be found everywhere, remembering him a lot of H.E.L.E.N, for she was operating in a similar way.

"I understand," Jason replied. He was annoyed but not exactly surprised. Obviously, the council members didn't like confrontations very much and somehow he always had something to add much to their dislike.

"I will stay in the palace waiting for you," he said and took Neri's hands in his.

Neri bit her lip with a sceptical look on her face. "But we need you," she objected and he smiled.

"Hardly," he responded. "You know my arguments and you know the people of Earth, – maybe even better than they know themselves. I bet, you got quite an impression when you met the President and the senators. And also," – he gave Shalamorn a quick look, – "this meeting will be about your people and their needs. This is why we are here. And this is also something, you have to do on your own."

"Jason is right, sister," Mera said, but Neri didn't seem convinced.

"Princess?"

Jason turned his head in surprise. He had never heard Shersheba calling Neri princess or even address her directly in a respectful tone.

Shersheba stepped forward. "The council members are afraid you might turn this meeting into another debate on how to deal with the Earth People. Even though you intend to talk about the current situation on our planet, involving Jason can be still interpreted as a sign of prioritising their needs over our own."

Jason nodded. "It's too early. We will have another interplanetary dialogue but first things first. And first means, getting back your authority."

"Don't worry," Shersheba assured Neri. "I will take good care of him."

Shersheba's tone contained no hint of her usual purring lewdness but nevertheless, Mera shot her a nasty look. Shersheba smiled her friendliest smile.

Neri took a step closer to him, not looking very thrilled by the idea. She had never been the jealous type but there was something possessive in the way she wrapped her arms around his waist, leading him to make a step away from Shersheba.

He suppressed a flattered smile and pulled her closer. This was not the right moment to cause a cat fight. He couldn't think of anything he had done to give Neri reason to jealousy – not since they officially became an item. Also, Shersheba had never been really serious about him, and more important, Jason had never been serious about her.

He cupped Neri's face with his hands and gently brushed his lips against hers. "It's okay," he assured her. "I will be here when you're done. Maybe, Shersheba and me, we can start digging about morphic fields."

Mentioning Shersheba made Neri pull him even closer. She was jealous, but with her mother and sister, as well as a stranger and quite hostile looking council member next to them, there wasn't much he could say to convince her that there was no reason for her to doubt him.

At least, not out loud.

He put all the caring and affection for her into one look, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs.

I love you, he thought. Always.

It worked. Neri's face lit up and she broke into a radiant smile. His heart skipped a beat and the so well-known butterflies stormed his interior.

Why on Earth(or, on Ocean planet) would she be jealous? She was and had always been, the only one to make him feel like this. Like there was nothing, he couldn't do. Around her, his world was in the right place.

He wanted to drag her into an impossibly close embrace, wanted to feel the warmth of her body against his own. He wanted to sense her soft skin against his and just give in to the sudden urge to kiss her senseless.

Her grip on him tightened and the longing way she looked at his mouth told him, she sensed these thoughts as well. He took a deep breath and retreated.

Mera and Shalamorn had politely looked away, but the slight smirk on Shersheba's face made an uncomfortable shiver running down his spine. Did they feel his thoughts as well?

Another even more uncomfortable thought took shape in his mind. Could they sense his desire? Or what Neri felt when he kissed her? Did they actually feel … everything?

Even the thought of asking them about this made him blush even more. How come he didn't think of that earlier?

Chianba cleared impatiently her throat, reminding him of more urgent things. "Shall we get started then?" she asked in English.

Jason squeezed Neri's hand and gave her an assuring smile. "I'll see you later."