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receive the bonuses that a reproducing couple will, so they
are provided with an additional share.
 Well, that explains why Yoris said they have to do math
because of me.
Huros was rubbing his cheek against hers, and she turned
more fully toward him to make it easier. The contact eased a
tension in her mind she hadn t fully realised.
 You need to rest more, and you will do it more easily if I
am with you.
She tried to come up with a reason that she shouldn t rest
and recover, but she couldn t. Her body still hummed a little
with pain, and if she could take care of it herself, she
wouldn t have to drain poor Tremor.
Jimra rolled to her side, and Huros spooned in behind
her. Tremor moved into the curve of her body, and Jimra
was out in eight deep breaths.
Tremor was still with her, and he was eating seeds out of
a tiny bowl on a pedestal at the foot of her bed.
Jimra was thirsty, so she carefully rolled out of bed and
put her favourite cup under her dispenser before pressing
the fill button. She drank that cup of water and four more
before she felt moderately alert.
She brought a cup of water and held it for Tremor until he
was sated, and then, she scooped him, his food and the
water and took them over to her small table, setting him
down and making him a path with footstools and chairs so
he could get up and down.
With Tremor sorted, she took a shower and got dressed in
her day-off suit and robes. She really didn t feel up to any
additional training today.  What day is it anyway?
There was the feeling of time passing, but she hadn t
managed to work out how much.
43
Viola Grace
With a grumble, she sat at her terminal, and when Tremor
tapped her on her leg, she hoisted him into her lap. Two
days had passed since her run to Urmak. She had missed her
classes and training sessions with Viika, but she was sure
that Yoris had let her know.
 Well, did you want to go for a walk around the Citadel?
Tremor chirped.
She smiled and brushed a seed crumb off his blunt beak.
 Well, then. We need to show you your new home.
She got an image of him on her shoulder, and she looked
at his chubby feet.  Do you think you can hang on?
He chirped defensively.
She sighed and got to her feet, putting his slight weight
on her shoulder.  If you fall off, don t say I didn t warn
you.
He dug his claws into her shoulder, and he was
surprisingly stable. They left her quarters and headed down
to the dining hall.
 How did they get you here? They are really protective of
their environment.
An imaged of Huros lying pale with large holes in his
body and scalp hit her. The healing was performed and the
marks disappeared. Huros jolted awake, and there was
terror in his eyes as he took in the world around him. The
view that Tremor was showing her was from the medical
recorder.
Jimra staggered to the wall and braced herself on it as she
was run through his physical recovery and mental
deterioration. The recorder showed Yoris making a case for
Huros getting a Yaluthu and a woman with a serious face
and a raptor on her shoulder taking on the Ypra
government. When that didn t work, a woman with glowing
eyes and a strange voice did it.
44
Blazing Serious
Tremor was a volunteer. He wanted to be with the people
who needed him and that meant Jimra as well as Huros. He
was an equal opportunity fluff ball.
Jimra went to the dining hall and fielded questions about
her new companion and Tremor.
She had tea and ate her breakfast, giving Tremor the
pieces of fruit that he asked for in her thoughts.
Just four months earlier, she wouldn t have imagined
sharing her mind with anyone, let alone a fluffy ball of good-
natured help. Sharing her thoughts with two beings was a
little surreal, and it made keeping her mind on her reality a
little difficult.
When she was done, she got back to her feet and followed
her impulses to the administration offices. Huros was
standing and speaking with one of the other analysts. He
paused in midsentence and came over to her, kissing her
softly. Tremor chirped in approval.
 You look better, Jimra.
She looked at him, and the fear and hesitation that she
had first seen in him, and first felt, were gone.  I am better.
Tremor and I just had breakfast, and I ended up following
you here.
He smiled.  Yoris wants to see us. I am done here if you
want to go.
 I am up for it.
He put his arm around her back, and she relaxed at the
contact. Whatever had happened between them, contact was
important to her feeling normal. She just wished she had
known about it before she had touched him. It would have
made her feel less like an idiot.
45
Viola Grace
Chapter Seven
oris looked at their close seating in his office, and he
Y
gave a resigned nod.  You both look better.
Jimra made a face.  I wouldn t have gone off world if I [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]