“It’s true though!” She giggled, trying to lean over. “Is your tail spreading?”
“Peeping at my tail, are you?”
“Shamelessly. Let me see.”
He smiled but shook his head. “It’s not spreading.”
“You liar. I see more yellow than before!” She laughed, standing straight again. There was only so much she could see without leaving his arms, which she didn’t want to do yet.
Sway’s tail feathers were long enough to touch the ground if they didn’t naturally curl up at the ends preventing them from dragging. Similar to his crest, there were primary feathers for his tail that were coming off of his spine in the same blue as the rest of him. There were three, and they covered the brighter feathers underneath quite neatly. When spread though, his tail would be like a cape, or the back half of a skirt, going down not up like a peacock. And all those bright colors would be fully visible.
As it was now, she could only glimpse the yellow, orange, and fuchsia behind his legs, like usual. But she could swear she saw just a flash of yellow like his tail was starting to spread.
She bet with his tail spread and his crest fully extended, he would be absolutely marvelous to behold. It was a sight she craved like sunlight, like her favorite treat, like the sweet brush of love and acceptance that she always enjoyed when he looked at her with those eyes.
The salesfemale came around then, asking if Grace would be interested in some sandals to go along with the dress, but she declined them, wanting to keep her slippers on. Because the farasie people had such thick skin over their legs and feet, their shoes were actually very thin. They were also made of the same sturdy reed-like material as the belt around her waist, which made them very scratchy and painful for her delicate skin. While the belt was lined with soft silk, protecting soft flesh and feathers alike, the shoes were not.
Her plain gray slip ons weren’t stylish, but they didn’t detract from the look overly much. And Sway wasn’t staring at her feet anyway. She accepted her old clothes in a bag that Sway carried for her as they stepped from the shop together, his arm around her shoulders. Loyalty was on her other side, smiling peacefullylike he didn’t notice the constant barrage of dirty looks being thrown his way.
How did he stand it? Grace was getting angrier the more people she saw gasping and pulling away whenever he got too close for their comfort.
She understood they were scared of him-
Well, not really. Loyalty might be a parasite that had claimed the body left behind by the ratchi who originally owned it, but it wasn’t like he’d stolen the body or killed the former owner. He wasn’t walking up and down the streets threatening people with his blood. Honestly, for a giant crocodile-looking guy, he managed to actually present himself as pretty harmless.
He’d done nothing to any of these people. He appeared just as safe as Sway! And, yes, that was because there was a hard edge to Sway when he looked at the world that the other farasie didn’t possess. But it was easy for others to miss because they weren’t looking for it.
And because they didn’t see the change she did whenever he looked at her. That stoniness vanished whenever he glanced her way, replaced by a genuine smile and not his false one. She could see the transformation happening in real time whenever he looked at her and away again. So, to her, at least, it was obvious.
But it was equally as obvious that Loyalty was looking ateveryonewith that same kind warmth. How did no one else see it? Was the purple glow really that much of a deterrent?
Grace made sure, as they were walking around, that she was being just as nice, if not nicer, to Loyalty in view of everyone. She touched him without hesitation or fear. Nothing excessiveor that could be misconstrued as romantic, but it was definitely fearless.
And, she knew, it didn’t go unnoticed. When they paused to get second meal and she put a hand on his arm, the female serving them got a look of disgusted horror on her face she made no effort to hide. She actually started to reach for Grace, like she intended to yank her away to safety.
Being surrounded by such blatant and obvious prejudice, it was easy to get frustrated with Sway’s people.
She had to remind herself that this wasn’t for her. This was for him. She was making nice with these people for his sake. The same reason Loyalty stayed among them in the first place. She was smiley and pleasant to everyone despite their reactions, relying on the years of training her mother put her through for diplomacy and socializing.
Still, she would be lying if she said she wasn’t relieved when Vweet came to find them that afternoon to pass on a message from Veesway. The Song leader had agreed to eat with them this afternoon, if they still wanted to meet with him.
If Grace were to judge by the look that swept over Sway’s face when Vweet delivered the message, she would say that he did not.
Sway seemed to have three different expressions. The calm, unassuming smile he usually wore. The warm smile he saved for her.
And that face. The cold one. The dark one. The one he’d given Covor right before breaking his ribs. It was an icy look that, rightfully, should have sent chills down Grace’s spine.
Maybe because he never aimed it her way, but that look didn’t scare her. It only made her wonder what kind of life he had to live in order for that face to form. What did a person need to survive to gain the ability to break away from their humanity – metaphorically speaking – so completely?
Despite that face, however, Sway agreed that they did, in fact, still want to meet with Veesway. Loyalty then took that chance to say that he would be staying in his room at the inn instead. Grace insisted it was okay if he wanted to be there – with Sway’s nod of agreement – but Vweet looked immediately relieved that Loyalty wouldn’t be getting near their precious leader.
“I want to take a look around anyway,” Loyalty assured them calmly. “I think I’ll buy some souvenirs for my mate. I’m sure she’ll love them. Besides, this kind of conversation isn’t for anyone to hear. I’ll be available to talk or if you need me later, but I know when it’s best I don’t interfere.”
That was how Grace and Sway left him behind, following Vweet from the inn back up to the headquarters of the Song by themselves that night. Both of them had dressed in farasie style clothing. Grace actually kind of liked it. This tropical planet was pretty warm, and the clothes were very soft. It was Sway who seemed uncomfortable, constantly plucking and pulling at the fabric as they went into the headquarters and, to Grace’s surprise, rode the lift down.
“These are Veesway’s private quarters,” Vweet said as they stepped off. He guided them down a hall that was rather simple in comparison to everything upstairs. There were doors lining it, but they all remained closed as he walked them to the far end.
That door opened into a long, formal dining room. A grand dining table, easily big enough to fit twenty people, filled thespace. But the lighting inside was dim, drawing all attention to the windows taking up the entirety of one of the long walls. Through them, Grace could see the forest floor of this tropical planet. The bases of the large trees buried deep in the ground, the ferns, the detritus, the small animals wandering around, the bugs crawling about. Untamed nature, right within view.
