“Wait, really?” Goldie’s smile slowly spread across her face. “That’s awesome. Is it like birds? Does he, like, jump around or something?”
“I don’t know what he does, I haven’t seen it. But that’s not the point. His people do a mating dance. To like actually mate!”
“And your confusion comes from…? What? You don’t have any rhythm?”
“I’m a better dancer than you!”
“Not saying much,” Goldie snickered. “Still don’t understand your question.”
“Myquestion,” Garnet glared at her, “is that it’s like a real mating dance? Like, it makes a mate bond?Thatmate bond? The one that’s basically marriage?”
“It’s actually nothing like marriage,” Goldie said calmly. “The mate bond is something that connects all sapient species in the cosmos. It’s a bond that literally reshapes the soul. You can’t divorce your way out of a mate bond. Some species die if their mate bond is broken. I think one dies if they never get their mate bond. It’s something that we as humans can’t really imagine because true mating is so uncommon for our people. But its value to practically every other species can’t really be overstated. It goes beyond sacred. It’s as fundamental of a concept as gravity. Comparing the mate bond to something as inconsistent and fragile as marriage is an insult to the bond.”
“See, that actually just makes me more confused. Becausethatmate bond is forged by his people through dance?”
Goldie shrugged. “I read about a species that bonds through taste. Like, the taste of the other’s blood. I think Sway’s people do it through song. Vytln’s people got this whole crazy thing going on with like a burrow and some really kinky CNC style-”
“One species bond through drinking each other’s blood?” Garnet made a face, still caught up on that to even pay attention to whatever else Goldie was saying.
Her sister gave her a dull look. “There are stranger things, Horatio.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“It means that yes, Tanin’s people have a mate bond that’s forged through dancing. And some have even weirder things that trigger and cement the bond. Did you know humans bond by sight? Sometimes immediately, sometimes after repeated viewing. That’s how our bonds, rare as they are, trigger and are set. At least dancing involves effort.”
“Goldie,” Garnet gave her a look. “He asked to dance for me.”
Her twin opened her mouth, but whatever retort she had ready caught in her throat. That was clearly not what she expected her to say.
“He asked to dance for you?” She finally managed to say. “Likematingdance for you?”
Garnet nodded her head quickly. “That’s what I’m saying!”
“Damn.” Goldie blinked rapidly before shaking her head. “How good are you in bed? How did you manage that in just a couple days? Did you suck his brains through his dick?”
“Focus, Goldie! I think I was just proposed to. And I said yes!”
“You said-… Garnet!”
“I didn’t know!”
“Then, why did you say yes?!”
“I didn’t think it was that serious!”
Goldie let out a long groan, dropping her head into her hands. She mumbled something, but the words were muffled through her fingers. Garnet didn’t need the translation, however, to know that she was being judged right now. Probably deservedly so.
Garnet, face flushed, stayed silent until Goldie lifted her head.
“Did heactuallydance for you?”
“No,” Garnet let out a long breath. “And I don’t know if I’m relieved or not. Like, it’s not right. He’s our sponsor. What if something goes wrong? What if we’re not actually mates and he dances for me and nothing happens? How are we supposed to get over that?”
“What if you got pregnant because I haven’t figured out how to use the birth control on this thing yet?” Goldie added.
“I just got my shot before we left.”
“Yes. But how long were we in stasis for?”
