Page 21 of Reluctantly Abducted
"The Council's methods are not always transparent," he acknowledges.
"So what's the actual point of this assessment if we both know where it's going, or not going?" I ask.
Ry'eth seems to consider the question carefully. "The assessment provides valuable data regardless of the outcome. Human-Nereidan interaction patterns, communication efficacy, physiological responses... all of this informs future protocols."
"Right. For all those other humans your people are planning to abduct?"
"We do not—" he begins, then stops when he sees my expression. "You are being provocative intentionally."
"Maybe a little," I admit. "It's just interesting to me that you're so certain you don't want a bond when you've never experienced one. How do you know you wouldn't like it?"
"How do you know you would not enjoy eating rocks?" he counters. "Some things do not require direct experience to evaluate."
I laugh at that. "Fair point." I pause, considering what he told me earlier. "Though that bonding thing doesn't sound so bad from what you said. Shared sensory experiences, emotional awareness... doesn't sound terrible, honestly."
His bioluminescence flickers in what I'm starting to recognize as discomfort. "The bonds are more complex than mere shared sensation. They create a level of... vulnerability that is incompatible with objective scientific work."
"So you're afraid it would compromise your objectivity?"
"I am not afraid," he says sharply. "I am making a rational assessment of compatibility with my professional requirements."
"Right." I decide to let him off the hook. "Well, for what it's worth, I think we're in agreement. You don't want a bond, I don't want a bond. Seems like we can just get through these three days and go our separate ways."
"Exactly," he says, though his light patterns are doing something complicated beneath his skin.
"So how do your people usually handle relationships if they don't bond?" I ask, genuinely curious now. "Are there, like, casual dating equivalents?"
"We have temporary companionship arrangements," he says, his tone becoming more formal again. "Practical partnerships based on mutual convenience and compatibility."
"So you have people you just have sex with, even if you're not bonded to them?" I ask bluntly.
The effect is immediate and spectacular. Ry'eth's entire face and neck light up with such intensity I could probably read by it. His mouth opens and closes twice before he manages to regain enough composure to speak.
"That...that is...such arrangements are..." He stops, takes a breath, and the glow dims slightly though it doesn't disappear. "Intimate physical contact protocols are not an appropriate topic for the assessment."
"I'm just asking for scientific purposes," I say innocently. "Cultural exchange and all that."
"Your scientific curiosity is noted," he says stiffly, the formal tone completely at odds with the luminescent display still rippling beneath his skin. "However, Nereidan personal... interactions... are not relevant to your assessment experience."
"So that's a yes," I conclude, enjoying his discomfort perhaps more than I should.
"That is not—I did not—" He stops again, visibly struggling to regain his composure. "This line of inquiry is not productive."
"Friends with benefits?" I suggest, taking pity on him.
"I am not familiar with that expression."
"It means people who are friends but also fuck," I say bluntly.
His skin glows brighter again. "Ah. Yes. There are similar arrangements among Nereidans, though typically with more clearly defined parameters and expectations."
"Of course there are," I say, amused. "You guys really love your protocols, don't you?"
"Structure provides clarity and prevents miscommunication."
"Sometimes," I agree, thinking of my own disastrous marriage. "And sometimes all the rules in the world can't make two people work when they just... don't."
"This is true," he acknowledges, and there's something almost gentle in his voice.
