Darren made his way across the long oval table towards the two Titans before him; both engaged in conversation with one another enough to have missed the special he and Aisell Maris just put on. Bedra was speaking with exaggerated hand motions, and Aehzay was slouched back on her chair with a drink in hand, an insouciant sneer across her thick, soft lips.

Darren could pick up bits and pieces of their conversation through the noise polluted night club atmosphere, as he drew closer he figured out they were having an argument about the Imperial Monarchy. Bedra seemed to have taken the hard line stance that it was a trite and useless mockery of what it once was, and that in light of the Imperial Senate and House of Representatives the Emperor held no real formal powers to speak of. Aehzay on the other hand seemed to speak in favor of the Emperor and his line, even going so far as to mention the Emperor by name and title on multiple points during the argument, although Darren wasn’t sure why as he was only half listening. The closer Darren drew the louder their talking became, short of yelling of course, as both Titans were still quite civil with one another. Aehzay almost looked to be enjoying herself, while Bedra had that fire in her eyes that was no doubt put there by the constant need to defend her values and morals form every direction as of late. Darren felt sorry for her; she was a good kid, nice, friendly, and accommodating. Even though her views on human beings were rather not where he would have liked it to be, she never made him feel like he was less than her. She conversed with him and the other two humans Tap and Degu as she often would any other Titan most of the time.

Where Bedra fell short was her unwillingness to make a solid affirmation of what he was sure she had come to believe. He saw the behavior change in her since they had started living together, he heard it in her voice, felt it in her touch, but she wouldn’t come out and say it, no matter how hard she was pressed, pestered or battered verbally. Bedra would always be Bedra, and he could respect that. Even how just now she argued with Aehzay, who seemed to have a far larger knowledge of politics and the history of the Monarchy than she had ever let on while mostly sober. It caused Darren to grin, these two Maris sisters were a fair bit alike it was the red headed one he wanted to know a little more about. He hadn’t much time to talk to Lezah since they had all met.

Aisell always seemed awkward at first meet, and then typically grew more relaxed and social as the night went on. Darren blamed her guilt over Luke to be the reason for this, but also figured she could also just not be a very social person. Which didn’t make a lot of sense given Aisell had a stunning personality, clever wit, a taste for good liquor, she could carry on a conversation at the drop of a hat, and the fact that she was absolutely….

(“Wait, why did you stop just there?” Pryvani asked as Darren simply drifted off to another topic mid-sentence.

“Never mind…don’t interrupt!” Darren snapped grumbly.

“No! I want to know…what were you saying about Aisell?” Pryvani’s voice pried and shucked Darren’s hard shell open, she didn’t even have to lay a finger on him to do it.

“Cut it out, yer making me ferget where we were…ya don’t want me’t start over now do ya!” Darren threatened.

“Goodness please don’t…” Pryvani sighed. “You were going to say something nice about her weren’t you? You were going to say she was pretty weren’t you?” Pryvani sounded a little disappointed, like she had just missed her favorite scene in a movie and couldn’t back track to watch it again.

“Damn-hell if ah was! Nothing wrong wit that! She’s a gorgeous woman wit a good personality ‘llright!” Darren defended himself boldly.

“No need to be so defensive my little friend.” Pryvani laughed as she watched the gentle waters their gondola travelled in.

Darren mumbled a few things under his breath, likely profane.

“Do continue….” Pryvani snickered.)

Gorgeous, she was out of this world gorgeous, which made her very visible social shyness all the more perplexing.

Aehzay on the other hand was just a little social butterfly. She was chatty right off the bat, but not in a hyper active sort of way, the taller, younger Maris sister had a lean and lazy air to her. She spoke slowly, casually, she laughed frequently, and she wasn’t afraid to disagree and argue her own point. Darren liked what little he knew about her. All three of them seemed to at least look towards him and the other two humans with friendless, and not the scary, grabby, possessive friendliness he’d witnessed with the nurses on Titan Station either.

As he reached the two Titan’s, he soon noticed Degu and Tap were nowhere to be seen. He was in the midst of looking around for them, when long tan fingers wrapped themselves around him and pulled him close to their owner. Aehzay had taken notice of him, and without breaking from her argument with Bedra, pulled him in and started to pet him casually, restraining him from movement with her grip.

Bedra clearly took notice, and grinned something fierce, but swallowed her expression and went on defending a point she was trying to make about the archaic nature of forced marriages for the purpose holding peace between factions. Aehzay of course had a witty retort for such, but Darren was occupied trying to fend off her assault to pay attention.

“Ah know we’ve already been through the formalities sweet-heart but duncha thing this is a lil early fer flirtatious advances?” Darren tried to keep a positive outlook on it, only because the grin Bedra had sent him was all the proof he needed to realize this little event was staged.

Bedra, being the clever but often cruel little brat she was, loved to pull Darren’s strings. Not because she looked down on him, on the contrary Darren understood that because she liked to get him worked up was mostly because she was starting to see him like a friend, rather than her friends pet. Bedra had likely set this up, promising Aehzay a hilarious after show when he went loony tune on Aehzay for her excessive touching and petting.

Darren, was determined not to oblige.

Aehzay forced Darren to sit, and then seat-belting him with her fingers and supporting his back with her thumb, she used said thumb to stroke his back up and down while messing with his scratchy short hair with the forefinger of her free hand. He couldn’t make out her expression from his vantage point close to her body, only the underside of her chin and her long blond hair as she spoke to Bedra, seemingly not even paying attention to what her hands were doing.

“At least lemme take mah pants off, yer stroking the wrong area sweet-heart! Mah dick’s on the other side!” Darren shot up, hoping his rather filthy request would shake a response out of the two Titans.

But on they went, talking amongst themselves. This was almost enough to put Darren over the edge, right into Bedra’s trap. But he was determined not to give her a chuckle, and instead simply began to wiggle and squirm his way out of Aehzay’s hold, which was no easy task at all. He felt like a hamster, every time he made a bit of progress she would simply re adjust her grip to accommodate, as if she had done this a hundred times before. Darren ducked under into her cupped palm and pushed out of a gap he saw between her first and second finger, only to have both fingers tighten around his waist when he was almost free.

“Don’t make me cut you.” Darren mumbled, but realized that was not likely a very good idea, also his upper and lower halves were now cut off from one another by way of Aehzay’s fingers. Darren continued his struggle for freedom, so occupied he hadn’t quite took notice to the abrupt and sudden change of topic between Bedra and Aehzay. Nor did he notice the fact that two sets of eyes were not on him, silently waiting for a response to a question he had not heard.

“Well?” Aehzay spoke up at last, lifting Darren off the table and parting her fingers so he could drop into her cupped palm.

“Well what?” Darren was mildly winded now from his finger wrestling, which took a lot more out of a man than one would think. Still he seemed to have more than enough piss and vinegar left in him, even taking into account his schooling from Aisell.

“You didn’t answer Bedra’s question?” Aehzay spoke up, leaning back in her chair, eyeing Darren suspiciously.

“Ah was a little distracted mah-dear.” Darren mocked her silly wanton expression and straightened his shirt a bit, it was messy and out of place from recent events.

“I asked why you did what you did?” Bedra asked, leaning forward with arms crossed on the table.

“Yet gonna have to be a lil more specific than that Smiles.” Darren looked back to Bedra, taking a seat in Aehzay’s hand, as standing was much more difficult than it looked.

“My sister? You remember her right? Decanus Derna Tae? You met her aboard the Gyfjon remember?” Bedra’s voice was leading, she was getting to something, baiting Darren, but with what he couldn’t quite tell yet.

“Ah met a lot of folk on that ship girl, yer gonna have to be more specific.” Darren shrugged, trying to keep his cards hidden.

“Looks a little like me, tall…friendly, frizzy red hair? Likes to talk?” Bedra licked her lips a bit and moved to a more relaxed position. “But that’s not too important, what matters is what she told me, and she tells me everything.” Bedra grinned.

“What are ya getting at?” Darren looked back to Aehzay, who was looking down at him, calm, relaxed but also seeming to know something he didn’t.

“She was one of the first ones to encounter the new indigenous humans from Earth…she loves to send me her personal logs…there like little journals of everything that happens on the ship. A Decanus’logs are not restricted either…not like the Commander or the Captain. Would you like to hear a passage from the log she sent me the day she met you?” Bedra asked, her voice like a snake.

Darren swallowed, he wasn’t sure why he felt nervous now, but he did. The puzzle pieces were starting to fit and it was making him uncomfortable.

“Today we picked up the smuggler from the surface; we have yet to locate her ship or whatever means of transport she used to get to where she was. Orders are to give the area one last sensor sweep and return to Mars orbit.

Dayun and I were fortunate enough to have been picked for decontamination and reconnaissance. Unsurprisingly the smuggler had with her two indigenous humans, both male….” Bedra paused, looking to Darren. “Now…that is strange…because your friend aboard the Gyfjon, the one who was discovered wandering about, the one on the Captain’s records as being the second indigenous discovered with Eyrn…she’s a woman isn’t she?” Bedra’s smile grew, she played her hand.

“Likely yer sister’s just too dense to know the difference between a man and a woman?” Darren tried to cover himself, causing both Aehzay and Bedra to laugh.

“Hardly Darren, but I can read further if you like?” Bedra looked back down to her data pad.

“Cut it out, what does any’a this matter!” Darren snapped, his face growing red.

Bedra set her pad down and leaned in, eyeing Darren for a moment.

“Captain Bass tried to return you all…he didn’t know about Izzy because she had been taken by a Jr. Crewmate before we could discover her presence at all. Your male companion was returned to Earthbefore Eyrn could ever know he was there…and this leaves you here. Why?” Bedra’s voice was calm but pressing.

Darren was quiet.

“Darren, you’re not in trouble, it just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. We are just curious, mostly because you’re keeping it from Eyrn. She doesn’t know about the other human, she doesn’t know about any of it…I figured you have to have a reason for keeping it all….”

Darren looked around; to make sure Eyrn wasn’t anywhere near. He then looked back to Bedra, standing in Aehzay’s palm and walking right to the edge, pushing two of her fingers aside to get a better look at Bedra. “Because ah couldn’t leave her. Afraid, alone, terrified! Everyone she’s ever known has just up and left her…mostly died of old age but still, nobody ever sticks around fer that kid. Suddenly now she’s zapped up by sum alien space ship’n taken from everything she ever knew? Ah had no choice!” Darren sighed.

Both Aehzay and Bedra’s expressions melted, Darren avoided eye contact.

“That’s so sweet!” Aehzay cooed, bringing one hand over her mouth.

“D’aw Shaddap…what was ah to do? She was afraid, the kid needed a familiar face alright?” Darren shrugged, looking down at the palm he was standing in.

“Why don’t you tell her? That’s not something you have to hide form people Darren.” Bedra spoke softly.

“Because, by sticking around Smiles, ah also sorta stuck us together fer better’er fer worse. Ah forced’er to be responsible for me. Ah had a choice back home, ah choose to take that job. She never had no damn choice here. If ah tell her Bass tried’t send me home and ah didn’t take him up on it?” Darren shrugged.

All three were silent for a moment; Bedra was the first to attempt conversation once more with a chance of topic.

“We won’t tell her then.” Aehzay spoke up, nodding to Bedra, who returned her friends look and nodded as well.

“Much appreciated ladies.” Darren ran his hand under his nose. “S’where did Tweedledum and Tweedledee Dum get off to?” Darren asked, having had just about enough Titan exposure for the time being.

Bedra motioned to the ground near her feet where her hand bag was sitting. “They don’t like the noise, it’s quieter in there.” Bedra paused, reading the expression on Darren’s face. “Did you want to join them?”

“Yea, ah’d better go check on em…make sure they ain’t getting into no trouble.” Darren chuckled, hiding his exhaustion.

Aehzay set her hand down on the table and watched Darren as he hopped off and made his way over to Bedra. “Hey…” She spoke up, causing Darren to turn to face her.

“Hmmm?” Darren motioned to her casually.

“I think…it’s really awesome what you did for Eyrn eh? I think if you tell her, she’ll think so too.” Aehzay smiled a bit awkwardly and made a small waving motion.

Darren simply nodded and turned, making his way to Bedra, who set her hand down for him to board.

“You ok?” She spoke softly.

“Yea. It is kinda loud in here. Tell Twat where ah am when she gets back eh?” Darren looked to Bedra, forcing himself to look as nonchalant and unbothered as he could. The truth was however, he was bothered. Every day he had to live here was one more day everything wore away at him, eroded his patience, his sense of individuality, his sense of humanity.

Life was starting to feel like he was living it through a snow globe. He could see the world through the distorted glass walls all around him, but was powerless to make anything happen, to change anything, to do anything for himself. It wasn’t the sort of person he was. This sort of passive approach to life went against everything he had worked for, everything he had been raised to believe.

Had it been a good decision? Aisell, Bedra…they were good people. They could have handled Eyrn well enough without him, they could have slowly embraced her and warmed her up to life here, and none of them actually needed his help. Why then did Eyrn?

Both of them thought his story was sweet and touching, but he didn’t see it that way. Eyrn was a lot like him, she would see it how he saw it. Wouldn’t she?

Bedra carefully lowered Darren the ground, where he leapt off and easily climbed the strap of her hand bag, slipping into the small open portion near the very corner.

“I think they are sleeping, you want me to check back on you in a few?” Bedra asked, concerned.

“Naw, I’ll jus’ take a nap too. Ah dun need a baby sitter fer that Smiles.” Darren chuckled as he lowered himself into the hand bag, a dull light was seen from within, put there so Degu and Tapp could see no doubt.

Aehzay looked to Bedra, who returned her gaze, one took a drink followed by the other.

“Well, that wasn’t quite the reaction you prepared me for.” Aehzay smiled slightly, in her own attempt to lighten the mood.

Bedra kept a solemn face but forced a smile the rest of her face refused to cooperate with. “Guess not.”

***

Aisell made her way from the lavatory down the hall back into the populated section of the nightclub. The music was loud, the lights were strobing and voices were cheering endlessly. She was near the LumLar ring, and found herself irresistibly drawn to the excitement and the fever pitch. The hustain in her belly, it still burned her throat, it still warmed her insides. It filled her with a fire far hotter than the demon drink itself. Her eyes watched the rallied crowd as they cheered their house champion. The animalistic tribal drums beat louder, drowning out the music from the next room over, drowning out everything and drawing her attention to one thing, the pit.

The resident house Campion Ler-Tonga was feeding to the crowds in a brazen display of excitement and pride. A fin like decorated sac of skin near the Ler’s neck had opened up and was displaying a colorful fiery red display fanned out like a tapestry on the wall. Such things were normally reserved for impressing potential mates. The Ler when excited often displayed such decorative side shows.

The defeated challenger was picking himself off the floor, pushing and elbowing his way through the gathered Titan’s and Ler respectively.

“Is there no one else then!?” Ler- Tonga spoke up, his arms raised, his tail swooshing furiously along the ground as he circled the ring. “No one else with the glands to face Ler-Tonga!?” The Ler’s voice was projected well above that of anyone else. None of the Ler in the crowd spoke up; certainly not any of the smaller species, Avartle, Drazari…even the Titans didn’t seem at all interested in meeting the champions call.

Titans were much taller than the Ler, but lacked the dense compounded muscles, thick scaly skin, and sharp claws and teeth of the Ler. LumLar was a Ler’s game, there were few Titans around who both got the lust for it, or the ‘glands’ as the Ler often said, to give it a try.

“Are you all soft and weak?” Ler-Tonga spoke, in a hushed whispery voice.

The crowd went silent, the champion had whispered, surely some proud offended Ler would stand up to such a blatant insult? Surely somebody would meet his challenge now?

“You dare whisper at me!?” A voice spoke up through the crowd, eyes turned to meet the unfortunate Ler foolish enough to meet the champion in the LumLar pit.

“Aha! Somebody with glands! Step forward mighty challenger and I will decimate you!” Ler-Tonga laughed heartily as the crowd parted, gasps began to be heard as the face of the challenger was seen.

Aisell tied her hair back into a neat tail, took off her loose fitting tee shirt to reveal a tight sleeveless undershirt, and stepped forward.

“I will cut off your tail and hang it on my wall you whispering skeet whore!” Aisell grinned, stepping into the center ring, a good two heads taller than the champion himself, but far more wiry and loose looking.

Ler-Tonga chuckled deeply as he flexed, rippling muscles hidden beneath tight scales caused clicking snapping and cracking sounds as the champion stomped his foot and readied himself.

“Puny, pink skinned Titan! I will bend you in half!” The champion shouted, a growl in his voice.

“You will try…” Aisell readied herself, standing feet apart, arms forward and prepared, a her game face on, eyes narrowed lips pressed together. “You will try.”

“The champion has a challenger!” A hovering Drazari above the ring jeered as he lowered himself between the two combatants. “May none here interfere!” he looked onward to the growing crowed from all over the club.

“Warriors….COMMENCE!”