Probably, and she was going to enjoy it!
After eating, everyone quieted down. It seemed humans weren’t the only ones who got sleepy after a big meal.
Of course, all the tension and worry probably wore everyone out too.
Using his Ident, Zeph dimmed the lights. There was some teasing as everyone figured out where they were going to sleep. Han figured she and Zeph would take whatever spot was left over.
Tumoro insisted Malsum had to stay on the bunk. The adultette was reluctant but couldn’t argue against Tumoro’sgentle but firm determination. Han felt bad the bunk wasn’t big enough for both of them.
Sandar and Rensom stayed in the nest with the kids nestled between them. It made Han intensely happy to see that.
Tumoro bedded down between the nest and the bunk. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but Han assumed he wanted to stay close to Malsum.
There wasn’t much room left. The only place long enough for Zeph to stretch out was in front of the cleansing unit door. If they put their bed there, they ran the risk of being stepped on if someone needed to use the facilities.
Every other spot was either too short for him, not wide enough for the two of them, or would’ve had them bent at an angle.
“I have the answer,” he said.
“Answer?”
“You’re trying to figure out where we’re going to sleep,” he said. “You have that scrunched expression. It’s your thinking face.”
She huffed out a laugh. “Gee, thanks. Every girl wants to be described as having a scrunched face.”
“Then I’ll tell you every rotation,” he said.
It took her a moment to realize he was joking. She stifled a laugh because she was sure almost everyone was either asleep or almost there.
“You’re going to fit in on Inneeko just fine,” she said. “Tell me about your supposed answer to my sleeping arrangement question.”
“I might not be as good at making plans as you,” he said, “but I do know something significant about this ship.”
She pretended to look around. “Is there a hidden room? A spare bed stowed in the ceiling? Oh, I know. You’re going to turn off the grav-pusher and we’ll all float around to sleep.”
He sounded an amused rumble. “You mock me now, but I think you’ll praise me in a moment.”
He dropped a hand down, and she heard him fiddle with something, then the chair started moving. A long footrest extended at the same time the back reclined. The sides widened slightly, and the entire thing lifted a little.
After the chair was done shapeshifting into a bed, she sat up with one leg on either side of him. There wasn’t enough room for them to lay side by side, but he probably liked that she’d need to sleep on top of him.
“Perfect,” she said. “You get a chair as a bed, and I get you as a bed.”
He rumbled with amusement and urged her to settle on top of him. She snuggled against him with his purring turning him into a vibrating bed.
Her body was tired, but suddenly her mind was fully awake. “I’m going to ask you a question, but you don’t have to answer.”
“I’m prepared to share every detail of my life and thoughts with you,” he answered promptly.
“Well, this is about your past,” she warned him.
“You want to know about my parents?” he asked. “Or about my time in the cresh?”
“I want to know what you did to have such a huge bounty put out for you.” As she expected, he went quiet. After a few minutes, she tried to retract her question. “Never mind, I don’t need to know.”
“I’m willing to tell you. I’m only trying to figure out how to reduce a complicated story into one I can tell you without putting you to sleep.”
What could he have done that was so involved? Could Talins create Ponzi schemes?
