Page 47 of Crocodile Tears
“Hence my familiarity with a lot of things that don’t typically appear on civilian dating profiles.”
She leans forward slightly.“What made you want to transition away from that work?”
The question makes me pause for a second as I consider motivations that I haven’t fully examined, even internally.“Partly, it’s a growing disillusionment with the moral ambiguity of private military operations.Most of my recent contracts have involved protecting people who probably don’t deserve protection or eliminating threats that probably don’t deserve elimination.”I adjust my position on the uneven ground.“Also, I’m getting older and starting to want things that are incompatible with that lifestyle.”
“Things like what?”
I retrieve water purification tablets from the supply cache while formulating my response.“Things like relationships that don’t end when the contract expires or going to sleep without checking for threats.I want normal civilian concerns that don’t involve tactical planning.”
Becci examines the jungle around us while absorbing this information.“Yet you just conducted an international rescue operation that involved significant tactical planning and threat assessment.”
“I just conducted an international rescue operation for someone I care about.”
She looks at me with obvious curiosity.“Someone you care about after one date and a kidnapping rescue?”
I begin treating water from a nearby stream that she’s already identified as relatively safe.“Someone I care about after one date, a kidnapping rescue, amazing danger sex, and discovering she approaches dangerous situations with scientific fascination rather than appropriate terror.”
She laughs.“Would appropriate terror have been more attractive?”
I pause in my water preparation to meet her gaze.“Appropriate terror would have been more predictable.Your actual response has been significantly more attractive.”
Becci grins while testing the security of her bandage.“What kind of response would that be?”
“Tactical competence combined with scientific curiosity and complete lack of hysteria about circumstances that would send most people into emotional collapse.”
She organizes medical supplies with characteristic efficiency.“I don’t tend toward emotional collapse under pressure.It’s one of my more useful personality traits.”
“It’s one of your most attractive personality traits.”
The water treatment requires several minutes to complete, during which Becci continues her systematic approach to understanding our situation.She examines the surrounding vegetation while I work.
“Speaking of attractive personality traits,” she continues, “I have questions about Gila monster shifting capabilities in tactical situations.”
I look up from the water purification process.“Such as?”
“Enhanced night vision, improved chemical detection through scent analysis, and whether your bite delivers neurotoxic compounds that could be tactically useful.”
I pause to stare at her.“You want to know if my shifter abilities have combat applications?”
She meets my gaze with obvious scientific interest.“I want to understand the full range of capabilities that might be relevant to our current situation.Also, I’m curious about whether your enhanced night vision has measurable spectral differences from standard human vision.”
“You’re asking about my shifter physiology like it’s a research project.”
She adjusts her position to face me more directly.“I’m asking about your shifter physiology because I’m genuinely interested in understanding how your capabilities work.Both personally and professionally.”
I finish the water treatment while considering how to respond to her clinical curiosity about my reptilian nature.Most people who learn about shifter abilities either react with fear or fetishization.Becci’s approach is purely scientific, which is both refreshing and oddly intimate.
“Enhanced night vision extends into the near-infrared spectrum.”I demonstrate by describing details of our surroundings that are invisible in normal lighting.“Chemical detection through enhanced olfactory processing provides information about recent human presence, emotional states, and health conditions.”
She listens with the focused attention of someone taking mental notes.“And neurotoxic bite capabilities?”
“Minimal neurotoxic compounds but significant crushing force and enhanced healing of bite wounds due to specialized saliva composition.”
Becci’s eyes light up with obvious fascination.“Specialized how?”
I find myself explaining the biochemical properties of Gila monster saliva while she asks increasingly detailed questions about venom delivery mechanisms and tissue damage patterns.Her scientific curiosity transforms what could be an uncomfortable discussion about predatory capabilities into an educational exchange.
“Your turn,” I say after finishing her impromptu lesson in reptilian toxicology.
