Page 20 of Solar Bound
"Yes," Solar confirmed. "Where else would I be?"
A smile curved her lips. "I don't know. Flying back to your planet? Reporting to your alien bosses? Making crop circles?"
"I have no agricultural duties," Solar informed her. "And communication with Zorveya is currently impossible without proper equipment."
Dani laughed, the sound warming something inside him that had nothing to do with his natural energy regulation. "It was a joke. Humans often fear that after sex, the other person will run out in the middle of the night."
"That would be impractical," Solar pointed out. "How would we have sex again if I left? Besides, my assigned dwelling is several kilometers from this location, and I have no transportation device or working skin-suit."
"Yes, you're very practical," Dani said, stretching beside him. The movement drew his attention to the curves of her body, partially revealed by the sheets. His energy output increased automatically in response, creating a subtle brightening of his skin.
Dani noticed the change, her eyes widening slightly. "You're glowing again."
"Your proximity affects my energy containment," Solar admitted. "The reaction is involuntary."
"So I literally turn you on?" She grinned, clearly pleased by the concept.
Solar considered this. "If by turn on you mean you activate increased energy output, then yes. Your biorhythms create resonance patterns that stimulate my natural emissions."
"That might be the weirdest and hottest compliment I've ever gotten." Dani sat up, letting the sheet fall away, unconcerned by her nakedness. "I need coffee. Do aliens drink coffee?"
"I have not attempted this substance," Solar replied. "I have seen many humans obsessively consuming it, but it has a questionable smell."
"That’s because, for some humans, coffee is life." Dani slipped from the bed, pulling on a loose shirt that fell to mid-thigh.
Solar watched her move around the small kitchen area, appreciating the efficiency of her movements. Unlike many humans he had observed since arrival, Dani wasted no motion. Each action flowed into the next with precision that reminded him of combat training exercises.
"You move like a warrior," he observed.
Dani glanced back at him, eyebrows raised. "That's a new one. Usually guys tell me I move like a dancer."
"There is similarity," Solar acknowledged. "Both require discipline and body control. But you have economy of motion that suggests training beyond performance."
The coffee machine gurgled, releasing an aroma that Solar found strange. His olfactory analysis identified complex compounds, many with potential energy properties.
"I've trained in various martial arts since I was twelve," Dani admitted, leaning against the counter as she waited for the coffee to brew. "Started with basic self-defense classes at the community center. The foster family I was with thought it might help with my anger issues."
"You were separated from your biological family unit?" Solar asked, recalling information from their Earth cultural briefing about human child-rearing practices.
"My parents died when I was eight. Car accident." Dani's voice remained matter-of-fact, though Solar detected subtle changes in her energy pattern that suggested emotional undercurrents. "I bounced around the foster system until I ran away at sixteen."
Solar processed this information against what he knew of Earth's social structures. "You were assigned to surrogate caretakers who proved inadequate."
"Some weren't bad," Dani said with a small shrug. "But none of them were family. By sixteen, I'd figured out I was better off taking care of myself."
The coffee finished brewing, and Dani poured two mugs, adding a white powder to one before bringing them both to the bed. She offered the modified beverage to Solar.
"I added sugar to yours. Might help with the bitterness if you're not used to it."
Solar accepted the mug, analyzing the steaming liquid with his enhanced senses. The temperature was low but within his tolerance, and the chemical composition suggested potential energy conversion properties. He took a careful sip, allowing his system to process the new substance.
It smelled better than it tasted.
"This contains stimulants," he noted after a moment. "Compounds that affect neural function."
"That's the point," Dani confirmed, settling cross-legged on the bed facing him, her own mug cradled in both hands. "Helps humans wake up and function."
Solar set the cup down. “It is not agreeable to my mouth.”
