Page 36 of Infala: The Alien's Bond
“I am glad you think so,” she replied. “You look well rested. Did you sleep soundly?”
“Yeah, I did, thank you. The tent was cozy, and the bedding was really comfortable.”
“Good. I assume you had no trouble finding your accommodations, then?”
“Nope, all good there. And much as the wooden structures here are interestingly designed, I really liked the camping feel of the tent. Reminded me of my youth a bit.”
“Ah, you have been given a tour of some of our village. How delightful. I am pleased you are finding yourself welcome here.”
“Yeah. Zepharos was a, uh, very hospitable host.”
The warm grin on Rohanna’s lips faltered slightly. Almost imperceptibly, but Darla had years of practice reading her sister’s unspoken cues.
“Is there a problem?” she asked.
Rohanna hesitated, choosing her words carefully. “Not a problem, exactly. Just a word of advice. Zepharos is a good man. Kind, competent, skilled in many areas.”
“I’m sensing a but coming.”
“Buthe also has quite a reputation. Not only with the few unbonded females of our village, but also those from other regions, though he has not done so of late after the last incident.”
“Incident?”
“It would be improper to go into details. Suffice it to say, just because a woman is unbonded does not mean she is not otherwise engaged with another male.”
“Ah,” Darla said, letting it go at that.
Story of my freaking life. Always picking the douchebags.I hate it when I prove my sister right. Just once, it’d be nice to be attracted to a good one.
The two women walked the rest of the way to the communal dining area without another word about that particular subject.
Heydar was already there, his plate piled high with a healthy portion of a hearty breakfast scramble of some sort, along with a stack of the local equivalent of pancakes. Darla and Rohanna went to the service area and gathered their own meals, then parted ways.
The village elder went to her place of honor on an elevated platform, though it seemed more of a formality than anything else given the casual nature of the residents’ breakfast. Darla saw that Zepharos was there as well, watching her with a smoky gaze. She gave a polite little nod of greeting, but then walked over to Heydar and took a seat beside him.
“Making new friends, I see,” he said between bites.
“The Oraku are a welcoming bunch.”
“So I have heard,” he replied with just a tinge of sarcasm in his tone.
Darla held back her snippy retort, opting to slow her roll and get some food in her belly before starting the day with an argument with the guy who pretty much saved her life.
She took a bite of the scramble and was pleased to find that the egg-like substance was most likely just that, although from what manner of creature she had no idea. As for the things chopped and added to the mix, there were a few delicious varieties of mushrooms along with some very interesting flavored native greens.
Heydar nudged a small container of a deep red substance toward her. “Olanga paste. It enhances the flavors.”
At this point, Darla took his word for it, spooning out a portion onto her plate without a second thought. She sniffed it. Some sort of salsa, perhaps? She placed a small dollop onto her next bite and scooped it into her mouth.
“Oh, this is really good,” she mumbled.
“Your runes are working, then. Without them, it would not have so pleasant a flavor.”
“Hang on, this was a trick?”
“Trick? No. A test, yes. There is no way of telling how your species will react to the pigments and runes. I adapted them as best I could figure, but you are still an enigma, and one that requires special attention.”
“Well, maybe warn me next time,” she shot back, taking a drink from the cup of water before her.
