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8

It was a glorious day…as far as Craig was concerned. The fall air was cool, clean, and crisp; the sunlight, even at this distance, provided some warmth. It took Craig a fair amount of convincing to get Ilen-Saa'an, Tsel-Ami'an, and Bren-Khy'an to agree to have a picnic—during the day. Craig had been yearning to be in sunlight, to be able to properly see Mûr Zhæn in all its colors, even if they were a little more subdued than what he was used to. Mûr Zhæn's sun, Nar A'Zhæl, is a Class G4V[1] yellow dwarf main sequence star with a bit of an orange tint, and it looked smaller than what Craig was used to. Mûr Zhæn's orbit was farther out than Terra's, placing it at the outer limit of the so-called “Goldilocks Zone". If it hadn't been for the amount of geo-thermal activity it had, Mûr Zhæn would have been a cooler world.

It had been nearly three cycles of nan-Raleen, Mûr Zhæn's farthest moon, since Craig and his parents arrived, and by now Craig was used to the slightly stronger gravity. Bren-Khy'an had prodded Craig into exercising with her, which his parents thought was a wonderful idea. Of course, Craig couldn't begin to physically match what even a young Mûr Tua'ansa teenager could do, given that individual Mûr Tua'ansa were easily stronger than three humans together, though Bren-Khy'an was careful to tailor an exercise program to his abilities. Ilen-Saa'an, now that her Honored Grandmother no longer objected to her seeing Craig, had been teaching him the finer points of preparing local foods, and also introduced him to her favorite music. Tsel-Ami'an, for her part, assisted Craig with his “Traveler's Guide" project by teaching him about the cultures of Mûr Zhæn. In return, Craig—through the use of the vast amount of information available in the embassy's archives—taught his three friends about his homeworld, and showed them his collection of musical instruments.

On this particular outing, Craig had brought along his Élendorian ha'nureen. After they had eaten, Craig slipped the soft protective cover off of his instrument and began tuning it.

“Ah, that is beautiful! May I?" Tsel-Ami'an asked, holding her hands out.

“Sure," Craig replied, handing the instrument to her.

Taking it gently, Tsel-Ami'an levitated it with her telekinetic ability, holding it with her mind while she lightly ran her fingers along its length.

“The crafting of this…it is so intricate! This is truly a work of art—the delicate inlays, and the colors, and…the detailed carvings! How did you come by such a treasure?" Tsel-Ami'an asked with no small amount of awe.

“Well, I saved a lot of credits, plus I used some of my inheritance, and mom and dad chipped in some, too. One of my Élendorian friends helped me make the arrangements to buy it and get it delivered. Be'na-sra Den'niwë—that's his name, though I call him 'Denni' for short—taught me how to play it. It was kinda hard to learn because it wasn't designed for people with four fingers. The Élendorians have three fingers on their hands, just like you do."

“Tell us about these…how do you say?"

“EY'-len-DOOR ' -ee-ans," Craig sounded out.

He went on to describe their physical characteristics, their strong empathic ability as well as their “touch" telepathy, and a bit about their culture.

“They seem like an interesting people," Tsel-Ami'an said, letting Craig have his instrument back. “And you have mastered their music, yes?"

Craig chuckled and replied, “A few simpler songs—their language is really weird, and they make some sounds that a human can't."

“Will you play us one?" Tsel-Ami'an asked hopefully.

“Sure. Um…maybe this one, it's been translated into Terran Standard."

Craig met Bren-Khy'an's eyes as he gently began the song.

“Once you were lost, once you were alone,

drifting, drifting, lost your way home.

Once you could see, once you could feel,

drifting, drifting, lost your way home.

Once you had love, once you had joy,

drifting, drifting, lost your way home.

“Twice you have called, twice you have shown,

drifting, drifting, on your way home.

Twice you have seen, twice you have felt,

drifting, drifting, on your way home.

Twice you have loved, twice you have joyed,

drifting, drifting, on your way home.

“Thrice you are found, thrice you're not alone,

drifting, drifting, you made your way home.

Thrice you are seen, thrice you are felt,

drifting, drifting, you made your way home.

Thrice you are loved, thrice you are joyed,

drifting, drifting, you made your way home.

“Now you've been shown, now you can know,

resting, resting, now you are home.

Now you can see, now you can feel,

resting, resting, now you are home.

Now you have love, now you have joy,

resting, resting, now you are home.

“Now…you are seen,

Now…you are felt,

Now…you are loved,

Now you are home."

Craig looked up when the last note faded. The emotion was clearly seen in the eyes of both Ile-Saa'an and Tsel-Ami'an. Bren-Khy'an lifted her face, looked Craig in the eye for a moment, then stood abruptly and then walked a few paces away. Craig looked questionly at Ilen-Saa'an and Tsel-Ami'an, and setting his instrument aside, he got up and went to Bren-Khy'an.

Gently placing a hand on her back, Craig quietly stood beside Bren-Khy'an.

“Hey…are you okay?"

After a few seconds, she took a long, slow breath.

“Craig…"

“You need a little bit?"

Bren-Khy'an put a hand on Craig's shoulder.

“Stay…for a moment."

“Ami'an, what…what are they doing?" Ilen-Saa'an asked her best friend privately.

Tsel-Ami'an casually observed Craig and Bren-Khy'an while she took a sip of some hot nemena[2].

“Craig's song seems to have affected Bren-Khy'an strangely. He is attempting to comfort her—we should as well."

Tsel-Ami'an set her cup down, got up, and joined Craig. Ilen-Saa'an watched her best friend walk over and stand on the other side of of Bren-Khy'an, placing a hand on her shoulder. Ilen-Saa'an looked down at the ground for a moment, and decided that Ami'an was right.

“Through him, she is our friend as well. I never thought anyone could be such to one of the Che'maht Sahn'rah_, but…_"

Ilen-Saa'an got up and joined the others.

Through the power of touch, and wordless thought, Craig, Ilen-Saa'an, and Tsel-Ami'an gave their support to Bren-Khy'an. In Bren-Khy'an's mind, though, echoed the words of the third stanza of the song…

“Thrice you are found, thrice you're not alone,

drifting, drifting, you made your way home.

Thrice you are seen, thrice you are felt,

drifting, drifting, you made your way home.

Thrice you are loved, thrice you are joyed,

drifting, drifting, you made your way home."

For the first time since her training to become one of the most feared, elite members of the Imperial Guard, a tear rolled down the cheek of Bren-Khy'an.

The nights rolled into weeks, the weeks into months, and almost before he knew it, Craig's twenty-first birthday was at hand. On Mûr Zhæn, birthdays were not celebrated as they were on Terra; however, important milestones in a person's life were. The first was Thu-Pa'zin, “Eve of Acceptance", which was when a child was accepted into the clan at the age of three sun-cycles. The second was M'su-Kas, the onset of puberty, which was about the time when a child's telekinetic and teleportation abilities manifested. The third was Nakanu Séchin, when full adulthood was reached on one's twenty-first sun-cycle, making this birthday of Craig's particularly important in Mûr Tua'ansa culture.

Cassandra had, by this time, made friends with Ilen-Jaa'an and Tsel-Una-an, and the three mothers plotted and arranged a party for Craig, combining elements of their respective cultures. Due to the lack of grain in Mûr Tua'ansa diet, Cassandra had to place an order well in advance for a supply run from Sol Federation space to bring the necessary items to make a proper birthday cake, complete with candles. Ilen-Jaa'an and Tsel-Una'an assisted the Nicolini's personal household staff with selecting appropriate foods and beverages, decorations, and traditional gifts. William, with Ilen-Saa'an and Tsel-Ami'an's input, had Taen-Gar'ta acquire a new outfit for Craig in the current Mûr Tua'ansa fashion, and have it tailored to fit him.

The night of Craig's nakanu séchin party arrived at last—it was a glorius night, according to Tsel-Ami'an. The twin moons, nan-Raleen and sen-Raleen, were both full and high in the night sky of Mûr Zhæn, and to Craig it seemed as if their light bathed Tsel-Ami'an in an otherworldly aura. She turned casually towards Craig, and leaned back against the balcony's railing, her pale ice blue eyes appeared to glow faintly in the moonlight. Tsel-Ami'an smiled coyly.

“And what are your thoughts this night, Craig…aside from the obvious?" she sent privately with gentle humor.

Craig blushed, causing Tsel-Ami'an's smile to turn into a grin. She could see his face become warmer and sense his pulse quickening.

“Geez, Ami'an…I…"

When Craig saw Tsel-Ami'an grin, even though the moonlight was amply bright enough for him to see her white, sharply triangular teeth and her deadly venomous upper fangs, he could only think of how exotically beautiful she was—and how much he wanted to kiss her right then.

“Craig," Tsel-Ami'an sent softly, lightly touching the side of his face, “you are…what is your word…ah, you are incorrigible! Yet, even though you are not of my world, I…admit that I am as curious as Saa'an. Even Khy'an is curious, though she is loath to admit it. She is as hard as the metal she wears, but there is still a fragile tenderness deep down. Do be careful with her, my friend—now that she has given it, never betray her trust; you would not survive her wrath and neither would she."

Craig blinked, totally caught by surprise by Tsel-Ami'an's words.

“Y-you've 'seen' this?"

Tsel-Ami'an smiled and sent, “That is my advice to you. As for other things…"

Craig felt himself floating up—when he was eye-to-eye with Tsel-Ami'an, she had a mischievous look on her face.

“Ah, there you are, dear," Cassandra said, her face brightening when her son entered the room with Tsel-Ami'an walking nonchalantly behind him. Cassandra noted the odd look on Craig's face, but said nothing about it. Instead, she commented on the new outfit he wore for the party. “I think that outfit looks really nice on you, dear. What do you think, Ami'an?"

Tsel-Ami'an smiled and sent, “It looks quite well on him, Madam Nicolini. No doubt he would catch the eye of many females."

Craig's face turned red with embarrassment.

“Ami'an! Geez!"

Giving her son a speculative look, Cassandra nodded her head thoughtfully.

“I think you're right, Ami'an. The exercises he's been doing has really gotten him into good shape, and the tailor has done an excellent job, and. Maybe you and Saa'an ought to talk him into wearing it the next time you go out, just to see what kind of looks he gets," Cassandra said with a smile.

“Mom!" Craig said in exasperation.

Both Tsel-Ami'an and Cassandra laughed.

“Well, at least you look nice for your party tonight, which, by the way, our guests should be arriving soon. I think Saa'an was in the kitchen, the last I saw her. You two go ahead and make sure she's ready. I'll be along shortly."

“Sure, Mom."

Tsel-Ami'an bowed appropriately to Cassandra, and followed Craig.

“You have a very strange form of hri'fal_," Tsel-Ami'an commented privately as she and Craig went looking for Ilen-Saa'an. “_However, I must admit that I actually found it enjoyable."

Craig smiled and tried not to blush as he recalled the recent experience. He had quickly learned that the Mûr Tua'ansa never invented the fine art of kissing, though he discovered that Tsel-Ami'an was a very quick learner. Little by little, Craig was learning different things unique to the people of Mûr Zhæn—he had found out how sensitive their eyes and ears were to light and sound, he knew about the scent glands in their wrists that produce a powerful calming pheromone, and tonight he discovered that their tongues were longer and stronger than he thought. It was certainly a thrill kissing Tsel-Ami'an, one tinged with a dangerous risk. One careless slip could resort in at least a painful cut—at worse, a horrible death. He remembered the video Bren-Khy'an had shown him once of an honor duel that ended in the death of one of the combatants. The final image had made Craig quite sick to his stomach. Still, even though he knew the inherent danger involved, he knew that he would quite happily kiss Tsel-Ami'an again, and he was absolutely certain that he would kiss Ilen-Saa'an—and Bren-Khy'an, too.

Craig looked up at Tsel-Ami'an and sent privately with a smile, “Anytime you want to do that again…"

“Craig…"

“Yeah?"

“You truly are incorrigible!"

Craig grinned.

The party had no shortage of guests—the rest of the embassy personnel, including Ambassador Bandera, attended, as did Lady Nemi-Mer'ana and even Lady Pren-Dre'ana. House Ilen and House Tsel were both well represented by the immediate families of Ilen-Saa'an and Tsel-Ami'an, along with their grandmothers. Even Tsal-Asa'an had been invited, though she showed proper restraint and respect. By the look she had given Craig when she had first arrived, he had the impression that Tsal-Asa'an would have carried him off right then and there if she could have gotten away with it.

There was ample food provided, served buffet style, which the Mûr Tua'ansa present found quite different. Lady Pren-Dre'ana, Lady Nemi-Mer'ana, and Ambassador Bandera went first as was their due according to both Terran and Mûr Zhæn custom, followed by Craig and his parents, the heads of House Ilen and House Tsel, and everyone else including the household staff and the guards. When all had had their fill, it was time for the birthday cake to be brought out. William explained the custom of the cake for the non-Terrans, and then led the guests in the traditional Birthday Song. Once Craig blew out the twenty-one candles, Cassandra proceeded to cut the cake and William handed out the pieces. Next came the gifts—those given by the members of House Ilen and House Tsel, as well as by the household staff, were the traditional kind given by the Mûr Tua'ansa for one's nakanu séchin. Tsal-Asa'an gave Craig the equivalent of a gift certificate for a free meal and drinks at The Drift for himself and three guests. Tsel-Ami'an gave Craig a traditional necklace that might be worn by a male of the Khea Mûr Tua'ansa—it was a pendant with two iridescent white stones that had been cut into crescent shapes and inlaid into a silver backing, flanking a blue star sapphire set into the middle. Tsel-Ami'an explained that the white stones represented the twin moons, nan-Raleen and sen-Raleen, and the star sapphire represented Mûr Zhæn.

“Wherever your path may lead you, Craig Nicolini of Terra, may you always find your way back to us," Tsel-Ami'an sent openly, gently touching his cheek with her hand.

Ilen-Saa'an gave Craig an armband that a Mûr Tua'ansa female would normally give to someone very close—on it were depicted protective Tykua-niya vines twined together.

“Our vines are tangled beyond separating now, Craig Nicolini of Terra. We will always be together," she sent, gently wrapping the end of her tail around his wrist.

Later, after all the guests had left and the cleanup was finished, Craig retired to his small suite for the rest of the night, what was left of it. Taen-Gar'ta had left a pot of tea, and Craig thought about having a cup. Just as he was about to pour some for himself, the door chime sounded.

“Enter," he called out.

He heard the door open and close while he poured.

“Am I disturbing you, Craig?"

He smiled.

“Not at all, Khy'an, come on in. Uh, you want some tea? I've got no idea what Taen-Gar'ta left this time—smells interesting, though."

“That would be acceptable."

Craig poured a second cup and handed it to Bren-Khy'an. She was again wearing a short dark blue tank top and form-fitting shorts that came to above her knees, though this time Bren-Khy'an had her long hair down. Usually she had some of her hair pulled back into a kind of top knot. Bren-Khy'an sat down on the couch close to Craig—not that he minded, of course.

After they both drank some of their tea, Bren-Khy'an sent, “This is for you," handing Craig a narrow box. “I…did not think it would have been…appropriate…in front of the guests."

“You mean, with Lady Pren-Dre'ana and Lady Nemi-Mer'ana there…"

Bren-Khy'an hesitated a few seconds and sent, “Yes." While Craig was opening the box, she sent, “It is not much, though…perhaps you will find it acceptable."

As Craig carefully removed the box's contents, his eyes widened in surprise. The bone flute was a simple nine-hole model, the same type as was used in the very first song Bren-Khy'an had played in the secluded garden. On the back of the flute was a hand-engraved Tykua-niya vine flower—a traditional symbol of love among the Mûr Tua'ansa.

“Geezers," Craig whispered, looking up at her.

Bren-Khy'an smiled a little—she could easily sense the strong emotion Craig was experiencing, and for once, she didn't find it annoying. Bren-Khy'an allowed Craig to hug her, and she even did not mind him gently stroking her hair from between her horns down the back of her head and neck.

“Thank you…" Craig whispered in Bren-Khy'an's ear.

She closed her eyes and gave a slight nod of her head in acknowledgment. It was still a strange sensation having someone that close, physically, and particularly—if she took the time to think about it—an off-worlder male to boot. However, Bren-Khy'an had become accustomed to Craig's strangely different, alien behaviors, and no longer found them nearly as annoying. If anything, she begun to wonder about her own feelings that she had towards him.

“Could…you play something on that?"

Craig smiled and said, “Sure."

Fortunately, Craig had a good memory for music. Taking a few seconds to try the different finger positions, he started playing the first song Bren-Khy'an had played for him.

When he finished, Craig looked up and asked, “How was that?"

“Remarkably close. And that was just from the one time you heard it, yes?"

“Yeah."

Bren-Khy'an studied Craig for several seconds before lifting her hand from the back of the couch and, hesitantly, began lightly brushing the back of her finger behind his ear. Craig was a bit surprised because she had never done anything like that before.

“Craig…?"

“Yeah?"

Bren-Khy'an hesitated. Craig had trouble reading her expression—even after being around her nearly constantly since she had been assigned as his personal bodyguard, there were still times when he had no clue whatsoever as to how she felt. Until she blindsided him.

“Have you been with a female before?"

Craig felt suddenly very warm.

“Uh…*cough*…no, not really."

Bren-Khy'an continued lightly stroking his hair with the back of her finger.

“Then we are in a similar situation."

“Um, so…you've never…"

“No."

“Geezers…"

As much as he desired Bren-Khy'an, Craig remembered both what his dad and told him months ago, and what Tsel-Ami'an had told him earlier that night. “…be real careful with her, son. She is supposed to be your bodyguard, not your girlfriend." “Do be careful with her, my friend—now that she has given it, never betray her trust…" Both had given cautionary advice concerning Bren-Khy'an

“Khy'an, um, would…would you get into, you know, any kind of trouble if…you and I…?"

She thought a moment, and then slipped her fingers behind his head and gently pulled him closer.

“You are concerned for me, yes?"

“Yeah, I do care about you…"

“As I am reminded."

Bren-Khy'an held Craig close, resting his head against her.

“It was included in my orders that I teach you our ways…and to learn yours as well."

“But…the Che'maht Sahn'rah…aren't they supposed to be…I don't want you to get into trouble because of me…"

“Why do you care so much for me? You know what I am capable of."

Craig sat up and gently cupped her face in his hands.

“Yeah, I know, but…you didn't answer my question."

Bren-Khy'an softly sighed and closed her eyes for a moment.

“Normally, we…would never allow ourselves to…risk becoming entangled with another."

“So that you can keep focused on what you have to do."

“Yes."

“And your orders kind of throw all that out the window, right?"

“That…is an unusual way of putting it. Yes."

Craig smiled and leaned closer.

“Craig…why do you care so much for me_?" Bren-Khy'an insisted. “_There is another more suitable…"

Craig's nose was barely touching Bren-Khy'an's.

“Khy'an, if you promise not to put me asleep this time, I'll…," he brushed his lips against hers, “…tell you."

She smiled slightly and sent, “I…shall refrain from doing so."

“Cool," Craig said almost at a whisper.

Being very careful, he kissed Bren-Khy'an on her lips. It took a few tries, and sharing some thoughts, before she started to catch on. Several minutes later, Bren-Khy'an stood up—when Craig gave her a “what's wrong?" look, she smiled a little and held her hand out to him.

“This couch, it is…too small."

---

[1] Our sun, Sol, is a Class G2V yellow dwarf main sequence star, which makes Nar A'Zhæl, a Class G4V, a bit older.

[2] Nemena – a brewed beverage made from the roasted seed pods of the n?m plant, which has a mild stimulant effect much like coffee.

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(On to chapter 9: https://www.sofurry.com/view/1091467)