Page 25 of All or Nothing
ONCE MEand Joss had gone through all of my jewelry we took a break, and I decided it was time to reach out to Derris like I’d promised. I retreated to my bedroom and opened up my contacts on my wristcom, flicking down the very short list to his name and initiating a secure call.
He picked up after a handful of rings, his handsome face smiling warmly. “Xollen, are you planetside again?”
I nodded. “I am.”
“Then I can finally get caught up on whatever insane thing you got up to while you were away. Where did you go, again?”
I sighed. “Quellor Station.”
His brow pinched. “Why in the glory of the Goddess did you go to that scrap heap?”
I closed my eyes, bracing myself. “You have to keep an open mind, Derr,” I started, leveling a stern look at his bust floating in front of me. “This is…very embarrassing for me to admit.”
He nodded, his copper eyes swirling mildly. “Alright, Xoll,” he agreed. “Please tell me. I’m getting very nervous.”
I loosed another sigh, my tail wringing the life out of my leg, as I carefully related how my last week had gone: my failed attempt at securing a sex worker, meeting the th'rak slavers, deciding to rescue the females, Joss wanting to stay with me—everything. I could tell that Derris was beyond shocked, but he listened well, nodding and gasping but keeping his thoughts to himself until I’d finished.
“Wow, Xollen…you weren’t kidding when you said it was a busy week for you.” I forced my tail to loosen its grip on my leg, for air to fill my lungs all the way. This wasDerris; he wouldn’t just cast me aside. He’d at least try to understand first. “Are you going to be okay, my friend? Do you need some credits? I can cover the fine if you’d like. Or you could stay with me and Gesea.”
I was touched by his generosity. I was sorely tempted to ask for the credits for the fine, but he was newly mated and might soon have a child, and I had found plenty of valuables already that I could sell off to cover it.
And I was surprised to discover that a part of me wanted to do it the hard way, just to see if I could. “I appreciate your kind offer,” I told him, “but I’m fine. Joss is brilliant, and has already gotten me working on my next steps.”
“She sounds really special, Xoll. I’m glad all that worked out. But if you need me you know I’m there, just give me the word.” I nodded; I knew this well. Derris had been there time and again, no matter what. “Do you think I could meet her? I have to say I’m wildly curious to see such a rare species of alien.”
For some reason, that bothered me. Joss wasn’t some curiosity to be gawked at. She was an intelligent and kind-hearted being.
“I can ask her,” I hedged. I didn’t want to share her, but I had no good reason to avoid her meeting my best and oldest friend. I would make it her choice, though. “Let me put you on hold and I’ll ask her.” I flicked the hold call button, then stood to find Joss.
She was in the living room, flipping through channels on the holoscreen. “Xollen, how the hell do you ever find anything to watch on this thing?” she exclaimed as she turned to look at me over her shoulder. While we’d been out getting her ID chip installed this morning we’d stopped at a clothing shop and gotten her some clothes with the last of my credits, and while I loved seeing her in my clothing I had to admit that she was a vision in garments that were actually designed to fit her. The dress she’d chosen hugged her curves deliciously, showing a tantalizing expanse of skin on her chest and along her lower legs.
“I actually don’t watch it all that often,” I admitted, sitting beside her on the sofa. “Are you free? I’ve been talking with my friend Derris and he says he wants to meet you. Would you be amenable to that?”
She looked shocked. “What, now?” I nodded. She bit her lip, her small hand patting at her hair and smoothing her dress down. She shifted, arching her back more and sitting away from the sofa back, which looked uncomfortable. “Sure, I’d love to meet your friend!” she told me, her smile looking just a bit tight. I had told her a little bit about Derris during our talks back on the shuttle, but perhaps she was still nervous to meet him. I toggled the call back on and Derris’s bust began floating in front of me once more.
I could tell when he noticed Joss beside me, his eyes widening and his mouth falling slightly open. Beside me the soft sweet-smelling female that had entranced me and boldly inserted herself into my life stiffened, her fingers twisting into the skirt of her dress viciously. I frowned. She must have beenverynervous. Without thinking, I reached out and clasped her hand that was closest to me, prying her fingers loose from her skirt and rubbing them gently. She didn’t react aside from squeezing my hand back.
Derris recovered quickly, blinking and smiling brightly at the little human by my side. “Hello, Joss! I understand you are to whip our dear Xollen into shape in the coming weeks?”
She returned his smile, her posture still too stiff. Her free hand was roving all over herself, combing through her hair, adjusting her dress, touching her face. “I don’t know about that, I’m just trying to help,” she replied, voice tight. “It’s very nice to meet you, um, Derris.”
“And I you, little human. I am sorry for what the th'rak have put you through, but I hope that you will find Billieu to be a pleasant place to live. Do you have your ID chip yet?”
She nodded, lifting her right wrist, her free one. “Yeah, I got it in this morning. Still aches like the dickens but there’s no mark at all. Alien medicine is amazing,” she chuckled, tucking her pale gold hair behind her cute rounded ears.
“I have to say, I’m surprised you would volunteer to live with dear Xollen, Joss.”
She stiffened further beside me, her smile looking forced. “Oh? And why is that?”
Derris grinned at her, clearly about to tease me. “Because I think we both know he can be very dramatic. Has he yelled at you about how you hang clothes up yet?”
Joss blinked, looking surprised, before she returned his grin. “No, he hasn’t. He must like me more than you.”
Derris burst out laughing, throwing his head back. “I like her, Xollen,” he managed after several minutes, wiping at his eyes. “My mate Gesea would have loved to meet you as well, but sadly she is at work and won’t be back for several hours yet. You two should join us for dinner soon! Perhaps once things have calmed down?”
Joss smiled, her cheeks flushed but her eyes soft. “Yeah, that would be nice. I’m sure you have tons of great stories about Xollen that I wouldloveto hear. How long have you known each other, again?”
Seeing Derris and Joss getting along settled something in me. I had been more nervous than I’d realized for those two worlds to collide, and now that they’d interacted and liked each other the relief was making me weak. It had felt vitally important, that when these two people whom I cared so much about met that they like each other.
