Page 58 of Citrine

I don't get it. If this man is her seed bearer, it makes no logical sense that he that he would do those things. The males of my species work harder to keep their own lives and provide for themselves rather than keep around something as useless as an offspring.

Perhaps the reason her species is so weak is because they spend too much time on useless things.

She seems to have gotten everything she wanted from thispadreof hers. That's the only thing I can understand from her relentless rambling.

If that is the case, then to get herkind handsI need to give her anything she wants.

It doesn't seem like that's all there is to it, though.

And I can't accept that, anyway. There might be some other possibility to the give and take thing, like an acceptable amount of taking something and the limits of taking too much.

Like how she should really use her grasper to touch me instead of flailing them around and talking about stupid things.

"Back on my homeplanet,parentshad todisciplinetheirchildren, or they were seen as badparents. Mypadredidn't do it so much, but that female was intent on trying to look like a strictparentsince mypadrewas not. They usually argued when it came to me, but more so when it came to my interests. I remember getting intohorrornovelsand they got into a huge fight sincepadrewas willing to let mebuygorynovelsand she would refuse lest peoplejudgedher in public. I was really intohorrornovelsthen even though I couldn't standhorrormovies…"

She's going on again about something I can't understand.

Her people seem so complex despite being so weak. They have a curiosity for the world around them that isn't natural and I assume must share their findings in conversations with one another.

If I find a stable place to hunt and live, I will guard that place with my life. Acompanionis not a need of mine, but for herspecies, it seems to be one. Which means I need to provide that for her.

It makes my stomach roil.

I am not familiar with thinking so deeply. Until being captured and meeting this female, I had limited curiosity for the world. Well, now that I have been plucked out of my favorite hunting spot, I suppose I have a great deal of curiosity and rage toward the ones who did it.

And now I need to figure out this female.

I am going to stop thinking so deeply about it for now. It hurts my brain and confuses my body.

The simple life of just swimming around and hunting doesn't seem so bad compared to endlessly thinking and talking about unspecified things for hours. Instead of that, I'm going to do what I want to do.

Luckily I stop myself in time. "Kind hands?"

She stops talking, then holds her arms out.

Finally.

I surge up to the bank and drag myself closer to her, wrapping my tentacles around her. Sure, she says I cannot take what I want forcibly, but I have listened to enough of her drivel. The warmth and elasticity of her body overwhelming me, causing a feeling I don't have a word for. It is much better than the feelingI got relaxing in my old favorite resting spot after a full day of hunting.

"Wroahk! What are you doing? I told you that you can't just do that. Alright, fine. I see the miscommunication. I said yes."

She tries to shake me off, but it feels like mere tickles to me. I can listen to whatever she says for hours as long as she's also using herkindhands.

I hold her tight in the grip of my tentacles, but don't use my graspers and keep my mating tentacles firmly tucked under me.

She can talk and touch at the same time.

"I listened to you talk like an insane person for a long time."

"Howrude," she huffs.

I find the harmless gesture comforting.

She continues berating me, but I remain in the same position. She squirms a few times in her position, trying to make herself comfortable and somehow brushing against the tentacles I tried so hard to tuck away from her.

She mumbles some words under her breath and goes silent for a while, staying very still. I can't tell why, but I savor the silence.

In her moment of silence, I can appreciate my position. The feel of her wrapped up tight isn't quite as thrilling as herhandson me, but it comes with its own pleasure.

---