Lezah flipped through a number of archived documents on her data pad, but the one she was looking for had managed to elude her.

“Why can’t I even find it? They’re supposed to be in order by date,” Lezah mumbled to herself as she sipped the contents of a steaming mug of brown liquid beside her.

She was on the verge of losing her marbles; paperwork had never been her forte. Aehzay had always been the one who had a head for numbers and the like. But Aehzay had yet to arrive. It wasn’t all that much of a surprise, really. While the youngest Maris sister did show more interest the family farm than Aisell, she was a far bit more scatter brained.

And both of them shared one thing in common: wanderlust.

Lezah’s eyes caught movement in her peripheral vision. She set her mug down carefully, and peeked over to find Luke pulling himself up onto the table surface. The low gravity made it easy for Luke to climb structures he would never have dreamed of of back home. He found it was fun – as in, he actually seemed to enjoy doing it. Maybe it made him feel independent, or maybe it was nice to know there was something he could do very well, better than Aisell and her sister, even. But perhaps this time, he simply wanted company.

Lezah felt an awkward feeling in her stomach — anxiety, apprehension…worry perhaps? She didn’t want to spook Luke, to have him withdraw back into his shell. More than anything, she wanted this to go well.

Luke Palmer was so much of an enigma to Lezah Maris. It was exasperating. She couldn’t treat him as a pet, for it drove him to depression and anger. She didn’t know how to treat him as an equal. He was small, fragile and living in a world wrought with dangers. It went against every instinct she had to just leave him to his own devices. To neither show him tender care and compassion, nor neglect and abandon him at the same time. It was a paradox to her, but it was one she wanted to understand, almost as much as Aisell did.

“Oh, hey Luke,” Lezah said, trying to sound as casual and nonchalant as she could…but then maybe she sounded too casual? Would that make him angry? Lezah winced subtly and brushed aside a strand of her hair. “How are you?” Lezah added quickly, hoping curiosity into the status of his well-being would mend the perceived error of her causal greeting.

“Hi Lezah.” Luke spoke in a calm, reserved voice. He was clearly nervous himself, but Lezah understood that at least he had a very logical reason to be nervous. On an animalistic level, she was certainly large enough and strong enough to evoke such a reaction.

“What brings you to my desk today?” Lezah asked, and the second the words left her mouth she began pondering to herself if that could have been worded better, it was so difficult not to suffer a slip of the tongue. The apprehension in her voice was thick as clotted cream.

“Remember, you asked me to keep you company while you did your boring paper work?” Luke smiled a bit as he finished pulling himself up onto the table. He grunted as he did so, and stood, brushing himself off.

Lezah almost had to sit on her hands not to reach over and help him, but she held back — and was quite proud of herself for it, too.

“Oh…well you don’t have to…I wasn’t ordering you to…I mean unless you want to…but you don’t have to…I mean that is to say I wasn’t telling you to keep me company I….” Lezah’s face went flush with embarrassment as she fumbled over her words.

Luke chuckled softly and gave his head a shake; it really was undeniably sweet watching a woman the size of a skyscraper fall all over herself trying to accommodate him.

“Lezah, you can relax…I…I wanted to.” Luke didn’t feel so cocky suddenly. In fact he felt more than a little uneasy himself just saying that. He almost expected Lezah to scoop him up, slap a collar on him and shout, “Ha! I knew it! PET!’

She did no such thing.

“Oh….” Lezah paused, stunned actually. But her stunned expression gave way to a warm, inviting smile. “It’s really nothing you’d be interested in.…” Lezah caught herself and winced. “Unless you do…I mean unless you like numbers…I meant…not because you’re…a…hey I hate this stuff too! Numbers are…and …oooohhh Luke I didn’t mean….”

Luke laughed. He actually laughed. Was this how silly he sounded, beating around the issue? As he had when he was starting to get over his fear of Aisell, Luke began to imagine himself on level size with Lezah, her bouncy wavy ginger hair, her thin long fingers, similar to Aisell in build, though scaled up just a bit. Her face looked so much different, though. Whichever parent Aisell inherited her looks from, Lezah must have inherited from the opposite.

Lezah wasn’t as frightening as she once had been. There was a very inviting air to her, but she had all the telltale signs of a flustered woman his own size…only grossly exaggerated. Watching how she moved, spoke and carried herself…in a way it made her seem much more human.

“I know what you mean. Actually I’m an English Major,” Luke responded simply. Lezah’s stunned expression caught his attention and he slapped himself. “D’oh, sorry you have no idea what that is do you?”

Lezah gave her head a slow shake.

“I studied language and literature…um…wow I never thought this would be so hard to explain. English is my native language. An English major is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English Language.” Luke met Lezah’s eyes to see how far she was following.

“Oh, okay, that makes sense!” Lezah set her pad down, crossed her hands neatly over one another and listened intently.

“Um…ok…so that encompasses a whole slew of countries, not just my own….”

“Which one would that be? Country I mean…and…is that like a geographical district?” Lezah inquired.

“You don’t have countries here?” Luke asked, perplexed.

“The Archavian Empire is made up of a number of geographical districts called provinces, under the governance of His Imperial Highness, Emperor Tiernan IV ColVanos.” Lezah pulled her pad close, and thumbed through a directory until she pulled up a photo, she then turned the pad to face Luke. “This is an older image, but fairly accurate.”

Luke looked over the picture of the dark skinned man. He was gentle and kind looking, but held a powerful gaze that could silence a room on command. Luke thought he would be intimidating at any size. “So, Archavia is a monarchy?” Luke asked, tilting his head to the side.

“A monarchy?”

“There’s a hereditary ruler who makes all the decisions?”

“Oh! Not exactly. I mean the Emperor does hold a lot of power, but the legislature usually runs things – really, it’s all done in the House of Representatives – we vote on its membership. There’s a hereditary Senate, but like the Emperor, they usually stay out of the way. The Emperor can propose laws, and can call new elections if the House can’t agree on a leader, but for the most part, the big decisions are made by the legislature. I…I hope that makes sense, politics was always more Aisell’s thing.”

“No, it does,” Luke said. “Sounds kinda like Great Britain – that’s a country on Earth, not the one I live in, but it’s supposed to be nice. They have a queen, but she’s more of a mascot for the country that its ruler.”

“So what about Earth, Luke? You never explained what a country is.”

“Oh, well….a country is a nation with its own government, occupying a particular territory. It has districts, settlements, large towns and cities, and generally a capital. I can’t believe in all your history you have nothing like that?” Luke narrowed his brow bemused.

“Oh, well when you explain it like that, yea. But we don’t use that word for it is all, and we haven’t had independently governed nations for hundreds of years really. I suppose the Empire’s one big country, really,” Lezah said, gesticulating with her hands as she did. She was defiantly a hand talker. It was mildly fascinating for Luke to watch mammoth-sized hands gesturing and motioning far above his head. He almost wanted to duck.

Luke waited until she was finished, he almost expected a condescending speech on the primitive old-world system of self-governed nations…but Lezah made no such accusation. She really was a far different person than Aisell. Lezah for one, didn’t feel the need to explain to you when she didn’t think something made sense. He thought watching movies with Lezah might be more fun than watching them with Aisell.

“So which country are you from?”

“Ok, so I come from a country called The United States of America, in North America. It’s a Federal Republic consisting of 50 states, and one federal district, and then some other territories, like Puerto Rico….”

“Is it one solid continental mass? How were its boundaries established?” Lezah interrupted, engrossed in his every word.

“Oh, well for the most part, the state of Alaska is separated from the mainland by Canada, to the northwest, and the archipelago of Hawai’i is in the mid-Pacific,” Luke said. “As for how the boundaries were decided…it kinda went in fits and starts.”

“What’s Canada?” Lezah asked, curiously.

“Another sovereign nation that boarders my country to the north,” Luke said.

“Interesting. Are your two nations at war?” Lezah asked, nonchalantly.

“Oh, God no. That war wouldn’t last an hour!” Luke boasted with a snarky grin. “Seriously, Canada’s one of our closest allies. I can’t imagine what would make us fight.”

“Then why two sovereign nations? Why not just one?” Lezah struggled to understand the logic.

“Well, different way of life, I suppose.” Luke shrugged. “Although really, that’s mostly down to whether you call it Kraft Dinner or Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, and whether football has 11 or 12 players.”

“But surely two nations so geographically close can’t culturally be all that different culturally…can they?” Lezah narrowed her eyes, a little bit of Aisell’s ‘game face’ evident in her eyes, in the way Lezah pressed her lips together tightly as she thought.

“Well, I suppose there is also pride…difference of governance. Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy…actually, they share Great Britain’s queen.…” Luke laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“So, your two nations are at peace…even though there are cultural differences that define you?” Lezah stated, as if trying to assert her conclusion from what she had heard.

“Yup…wait how did we even get on this?” Luke laughed suddenly.

“Sorry…but I find it fascinating.” Lezah smiled sheepishly. “I’m afraid to tell you what I thought Earth was like…I think it would just make you angry.” Lezah frowned.

“Naw, it’s fine. I think I have a rough idea anyhow.” Luke sucked on his lips. There was a bit of tension in the air.

“But I like that you told me this!” Lezah spoke up quickly, with a smile. “I want to learn Luke…as much as you have to teach.”

“Bah, I can’t see how any of this would even interest you, Lezah.” Luke waved his hand dismissively.

“Hey, I can’t lean if you don’t teach me Luke,” Lezah responded earnestly.

“R…really?” Luke looked up to the giantess sitting before him, he approached her closer. He could see it now. She wasn’t there yet, but she was trying, she was trying as hard as she could. For all he was pushing and pulling, she was struggling to keep up. He felt suddenly a little regretful.

“Yes,” Lezah smiled. “But not here, okay?” Lezah turned to face the open window; the blue-white sun was filling most of the room with a bright, dazzling light. “It’s such a nice day out, why do we have to spend it in here? Would you like to go for a walk with me? I’m itching to get out Luke!”

Luke backed away; he felt a deep dreadful twisting in his stomach. Outside? It was dangerous out there, with her? Alone with her? He was safe in the house. He could run off and retreat to his own if he grew uncomfortable or frightened of her. Outside he was totally at her mercy, totally under her control. Luke felt claustrophobic and uneasy.

“Luke, you don’t have to come. You can stay here, I just thought I’d offer.” Lezah’s voice pulled Luke back to reality. He looked up to her emerald eyes. They were soft and gentle. She wasn’t reaching out for him, and she wasn’t mocking his anxiety. She didn’t look full of pity. She just watched him, with those soft, gentle eyes. She was offering him a choice. He could say no.

“It’s dangerous out there, isn’t it?” Luke asked, apprehensively.

“It can be, but we will be together, so there is nothing to worry about,” Lezah carefully chose her words, she didn’t want Luke to think she was protecting him, even though that in essence was exactly what she would be doing.

“I…haven’t been outside in…God I can’t remember…since I woke up on Titan Station.” Luke looked towards the radiant white sunlight luring him from the window.

“You haven’t seen the farm yet, I could show you around. It’s always good to know your neighborhood, right?” Lezah asked, her smile returning.

“Well…okay.” Luke took a few controlled breaths.

“How would you prefer to travel?” Lezah asked, with no humor or playfulness.

“Beg pardon?” Luke asked with a confused look.

“Well I can’t just grab you and start walking. Where do you want to ride? How do you want to travel?” Lezah asked again, as if it was a very simple question.

“Ga…um…well…I don’t know…I didn’t know there were options.”

“Well,” Lezah stood, slowly, and slid her chair back in, “you could ride in my front pocket.” Lezah was wearing a simple short sleeved white tee shirt, with a pair of denim overalls. There was a long front pocket between the two straps. “Or you could ride on my palm. I…I’m not very fond of that method as my arm gets sore after too long,” Lezah said, with an embarrassed smile.

“I….” Luke began, but was cut off.

“Or my shoulder works, and the straps form my coveralls make for a handy seat-belt!” Lezah said, mater-of-factly.

“Lezah….” Luke once again was cut off.

“I suppose you could even ride atop my head if you fancy, but that might be a little rough!” Lezah winked to show she was only kidding.

Luke spoke quickly this time. “Lezah, which ever you prefer…I’m not picky.” Luke smiled.

“I just thought you’d appreciate….” Lezah blushed deeper.

“I do, I really do Lezah. Thank you.” Luke cut her off, with a relieved smile.

“How about shoulder?” Lezah asked, raising one brow quizzically.

“Okay. Sounds good.”

“Much easier to talk, and for me to hear you form there!” Lezah crouched down, setting her shoulder next to the table. “All aboard?” Her voice rang with a friendly chime.

Luke carefully crawled onto her shoulder, amazed that he was given the chance to climb aboard himself, and not simply grabbed and placed there. Once aboard, he sat down, and tucked his legs under the strap of Lezah’s overalls. He had just enough room to do so, and still lean against her neck comfortably.

Lezah adjusted her straps so he would be safe, yet comfortable, and then reached into her side pocket.

“Whacha doing?” Luke asked, curiously.

Lezah set a small rubber band between her teeth, and then using both hands pulled her mane of red hair back into a pony-tail. “Tying my hair up,” she mumbled, mildly distorted form the rubber band.

“Why?” Luke asked.

“Well, you want to be able to see the sights, don’t you?” Lezah grinned.

“Oh…that actually makes sense.” Luke chuckled to himself.

Lezah finished tying her hair back, and then peeked down as best she could at her passenger. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a passenger…so let me know if I’m walking to fast, okay?” Lezah said.

“I don’t think anyone can walk as fast or as hard on their feet as Aisell, I think I’ll be fine!” Luke teased, smiling fondly at the memory of his first ride on Aisell’s shoulder. He had equated it to riding a rollercoaster without a safety strap – though roller coasters didn’t turn as sharply.

Lezah made her way to the door. Luke felt the familiar feeling of panic in his stomach; it was a natural response. It was unnatural to travel like he was traveling, and he had to assure his brain that he was safe. Even if he was safe, his brain went over the distance he was to the floor, the velocity Lezah was traveling in relation to her size, everything. But he had done this before, and it was getting easier.

“I don’t know how Degu makes this look so casual and nonchalant, Lezah.” Luke winced a little.

“He’s had a lifetime to get used to it; you’ve had a few months…give yourself some time.” Lezah peeked down to Luke as she carefully slid her sandals on. She didn’t plan on doing any work, so boots were not needed.

Luke mulled over that, time…time to get used to it. He didn’t want to get used to it, he didn’t want to have to. But the longer he was here, the less terrifying that reality became. That itself, made Luke incredibly sad.

He was getting used to it.

***

Quendra the Huntress sat against the tupp-hide chair and gently rubbed her middle and forefinger over her temples. She had never actually orchestrated a rescue before; it was proving much more difficult than she had anticipated.

“Okay, well, it seems to me the most promising course of action would be to wait until the giants are asleep. They slumber for such a long time, that is when we should strike.” Lun the Defender smacked the sculpted wooden table and crossed his arms, leaning back on his chair. He had a broad thick smile across his bearded face.

“They keep their slaves locked up when they sleep Lun, and generally in their sleeping chambers. I don’t think that would be a very wise course of action. Besides, the chances of both of them being asleep at the same time…I don’t know.” Quendra pursed her lips to the corner of her face and narrowed her eyes.

“Well, under cover of darkness….” A thick stocky woman with a corn beef complexion, and eyes that told of her experience spoke up in a raspy, sullen voice.

“Elder Huntress, I venerate your opinion over that of anyone else in this room, but to leave the Great Tree under cover of darkness would mean death to….”

Quendra felt a sharp stinging pain, as the older stout woman moved with reflexes like a shaar. Straight across the side of her head, the woman landed a blow that felt like a swung log. Quendra winced and closed her eyes. There were many people she felt comfortable mouthing off to. Kumn the Elder Huntress was not one of them.

“Ignorant little pup! Hold your slimy little tongue until I am finished speaking!” The corpulent woman circled the table and its inaudible populace slowly. Her movements were heavy, each step determined and confident.

Quendra kept her eyes closed, and bit her tongue to the point of drawing blood. She didn’t want to speak out against the Elder Huntress, who was growing forgetful and careless in her old age. But Drugar had entrusted this to her, not to Kumn! It was enough to cause Quendra’s blood to boil. The old crone was taking over, like she always did.

In her day, Kumn was a huntress to reckon with. While she was short, she was built like three strong men, and had the endurance of a giant. She could hunt for days and not tire, she could run without growing sore, and she could take down the strongest, boldest and most formidable prey. But her most remarkable quality had been her quick wit.

But that was then, ages ago. Quendra felt her days as elder huntress were numbered. Quendra had her eye on that position. It was only a matter of time. “Drudge, on you ignorant withered patunk…” Quendra thought to herself as she brooded.

Kumn’s eyes fell onto Thurfrit the Chronicler, who was sitting off to the side, recording the events of the meeting of the defenders and the hunters. He spoke not a word and kept his eyes downcast.

“I was there when Fraya the Wise was rescued…I led that hunting party…you would all be wise to seek my wisdom on this matter! Not the advice of a wide lipped slut!”

Thurfrit’s head snapped upward as Kumn called Quendra out in front of the meeting room. The ordinarily lippy and surly Quendra, said nothing.

“’That wide lipped slut,’ Kumn,” A deep billowing voice broke the stun silence of the meeting room, “is the huntress I placed in charge of this task.” Drugar stepped into the meeting room, his smokey eyes tapering as he closed in on Kumn.

“I will not be hung to dry like the hide of a tupp! You flecking old sack of muck-weed! I am Elder Huntress, not her!” Kumn swung her arm reactively as she motioned to Quendra.

“You will address me with respect, Kumn, Elder Huntress!” Drugar’s voice billowed as he took a step forward, his chest puffed out. Drugar hardly ever yelled. He never had to.

“I know the rules laid down by they who lead before you Drugar! If she wants my totem, she knows how she can get it!” Kumn spat back, standing chest to chest with Drugar, her old amber eyes sparkled. “Let her stand and take it, if she feels she can do so!” Kumn pushed passed Drugar and approached Quendra, who was sitting back, gripping the arm of her chair, her nails digging into the leather surface, her teeth grinding together furiously.

Quendra stood, slamming her fist down on the carved wooden table, her eyes shot to Kumn and then to Drugar. “I would have you both take this screaming match elsewhere! While we bicker one of our own suffers under the heel of the savage giants!” Quendra turned to Kumn, who had a malicious grin across her winkled old face. “When I feel your stench has grown unbearable, and your wrinkled old face scares the young ones enough I will declare my intentions and take that totem from your withered old fingers! Until then, count your days fortunate and leave me be!”

Quendra trembled with raw passionate fury as she locked eyes with the Elder Huntress. Kumn laughed a wicked old cackle and made her way towards Quendra.

“Very well, Moans like Tramp! I will leave you to your rabble of a meeting. But when your sorry ass finds itself in a cage, I hope Hair Like Fire makes you dance, bed and suckle her teat for your bread!” Kumn’s voice dripped with venom as she stormed out of the meeting room.

The room sat silent, no one dared to move, let alone speak. Drugar moved to Quendra and whispered into her ear.

“Do me a favor Huntress, find your valor and make a claim on Kumn’s totem sooner, rather than later, I grow weary of her,” Drugar grumbled and made his way out of the room.

***

Luke found himself enjoying the sunshine and warm summer breeze of the country. The sun was just as warm and bright as the sun he was used to back home, but it shone with a blueish white tinge, the sky itself had a rich, dark hue. “That just looks off…the sky is so…blue,” Luke casually mentioned as he looked up, Lezah’s country tan skin was warm, almost hot to the touch, and it was making him sleepy.

“Is the sky not blue on earth?” Lezah asked, laughing.

“No, it is, just…not as dark blue. It’s more of a very light baby blue, and the sun is golden yellow, orange at times…when it sets over the horizon at just the right time,” Luke reminisced, with a smile on his face.

“You must miss it, a lot.” Lezah stated the obvious, but with a compassionate tone.

“I do,” Luke responded, after a while.

“I’m sorry.” Lezah offered up, for whatever it was worth.

“Eh, not your fault,” Luke said, and the words came out of his mouth faster than he imagined they would. But all he could think about then was…Aisell. It wasn’t her fault either. It really wasn’t.

As Lezah made her way down the cobblestone path, she eyed the various livestock as they grazed, pecked and lazed around. Luke watched what he imagined to be what on earth would be a cow, flick its three tails to bat insects away.

“It’s funny, how similar life is here…I mean if it wasn’t for the size thing you could almost fool me into thinking this was…well you know.” Luke shrugged. Titans looked like humans, their little fowl birds looked like chickens, even the big lumbering cattle like animals somewhat reminded him of cows.

“What did you expect alien worlds to look like? Little green men?” Lezah laughed.

“Well now that you mention it, yes!” Luke chuckled. “So, are you Titans the biggest?” Luke inquired.

“Well, the biggest sentient race yes…we have wild life bigger than us…but even then, not a whole lot.” Lezah’s paces were slow and lazy, her voice matched.

“How about us, we are the smallest then?” Luke asked, almost afraid to hear what she had to say.

“That’s right.” Lezah responded, simply.

“Shortest life spans too?” Luke sighed. “Smallest, dumbest, weakest…heh…what a welcome we will get in a few hundred years.”

“Well, no…the Avartle live for what would be half your lifespan, and the insectoid drones have an individual life span of only a few months each.” Lezah nodded. “The queens and soldiers live a bit longer…but still…”

“Well, that’s a bit of comfort.” Luke shrugged. “Those insectoids then…that’s where I was headed, I guess.”

Lezah cringed and shivered slightly. “I’m glad you didn’t.” Her voice went cold.

“Yea…Aisell told me…so they eat humans?” Luke was chilled himself.

“Humans are not on the menu for very many species Luke, but the insectoids seem to enjoy it,” Lezah said, cold fury in her voice. “It’s disgusting.”

“Well I don’t know. I imagine we taste something like chicken…but not disgusting….” Luke joked.

“It’s not funny Luke. We may have a lot of things backwards but this is one thing I know we have right…just the idea of it makes me so angry. Humans…as food…it’s just wrong Luke.” Lezah sighed, it wasn’t as if she HAD to TELL him that. It was likely he already knew.

“Well, coming from a lady large enough to eat 10 of me, that is a bit of a relief,” Luke chuckled.

“You keep making light of that…it’s really not funny. There –are- Titans who eat humans Luke…and it’s nothing to laugh about. It’s a crime,” Lezah said; there was no light in her voice.

“Aisell never told me that….” Luke shivered.

“And I shouldn’t have either. It’s not something that happens a lot…only very sick, sick people. Please…don’t think this is something that is common…or accepted. There are FEW things more rotten and low than a Titan who eats humans.” Lezah sounded bitter.

“Yeah, no I guess…I mean there are sick people form every species. Hell, we have cannibals back home…people who eat other people. I suppose that’s not much different.” Luke furrowed his brow. “Well okay, it’s a lot differnet…but….”

“Can we change the subject? This is a strange conversation….”

“I get why she didn’t tell me, I mean it would not have helped me trust her any more…knowing.” Luke shrugged, he seemed much more relaxed about this than Lezah.

“This is where the tree line begins Luke.” Lezah changed the subject quickly.

Luke eyed the thick dense forested area that outlined the back of the Maris’ property. He marveled at the size and thickness of the trees. Not only were they large by human standards, they seemed large even next to Lezah. She seemed…tiny in comparison.

“I wonder if the low gravity makes them grow even bigger than they normally would.” Luke commented. “Like if I planted a redwood from back home, if it would get this big?” Luke asked, mostly to himself.

Lezah shrugged, which jostled Luke a little. “I dunknow….”

“So, you’ve shown me a pond, some fields, a barn, and a forest. Some animals and a whole lot of grass, that about the extent of the tour?” Luke asked, he was much more relaxed than he had been since he arrived, it even more so than he had been with Aisell on Titan station.

“Well I didn’t say it would be an exciting tour!” Lezah puffed.

“What are the cities like? I mean this is rural area ok, but what is it like in the more populated areas?” Luke asked, as Lezah turned and began to make her way back down the cobble stone path that lead back to the farm.

“Do you have large cities back on earth?” Lezah asked, with interest.

“Yup, lots of them; some with millions…of people, with skyscrapers and densely populated business cores and everything…cars and busses and motorists whizzing around like ants in on the move.

“Car’s?” Lezah asked, perplexed.

“A machine with four wheels we use to move around quickly, it is powered by an internal combustion engine. You don’t have cars here?” Luke asked.

“Oh, well no…we mostly commute by shuttle, there are all sorts of shuttlecraft, large and small, for mass transit and for personal use.”

“Nothing with wheels?” Luke asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Well yeah, we have suff like that. But mostly that’s all obsolete….” Lezah rounded the bend in the path, her eyes caught movement near the north side of the barn. “Odd….”

Luke picked up on Lezah’s apprehension and sat up, he grabbed hold of her overall strap and edged closer to her neck.

“Luke, do you mind?” Lezah set her hand beside her shoulder and motioned towards it.

“Oh…okay.” Luke crawled onto her palm. Before he could situate himself her long slender fingers curled into a protective barrier around him. He felt her transfer him into her front pocket, and then things picked up! Luke tumbled about as Lezah jogged up the path towards the barn.

For her it was a simple jog, for Luke it was a turbulent sickening ride from hell! Eventually Luke caught his balance and pressed himself against Lezah’s chest. He tightened up and clenched hold of the fabric of her pocket. Muttering to himself as she came to a stop.

Carefully her hand fished around for him, and she placed him back onto her shoulder. Luke, dizzy and disheveled latched onto Lezah’s neck, until the world stopped spinning.

“Warn me next time!” Luke muttered, irritated.

“Excuse me, can I help you?” Lezah spoke, in a voice she normally reserved for speaking with others of her own size, it was louder and less reserved than the soft voice she used when she was talking with Luke. It was similar to how he heard Aisell and Bedra talk when they were reminiscing. It was loud, and much more intimidating, like she was speaking without reservation.

A tall man with shaggy brown hair, a prominent chin dressed in a loose white tee shirt and torn denim pants turned around to face Lezah. He had been poking around the north side of the barn. He had deep purple eyes, and a tan similar to Lezah. His face was warm and inviting, and he had a few days of rough stubble.

“Oh, hey Lez!” The Titan spoke in a friendly, voice that suggested he was familiar with Lezah.

Luke noticed Lezah’s posture loosen, her shoulders eased up, and her voice relaxed. “Tizen! You’re lucky I didn’t shoot you with a stunner! You know better than to lurk in the shadows!” Lezah hauled out and slugged the Titan on his shoulder, but she had a friendly smile and wide eager eyes.

Tizen rubbed his shoulder and stumbled back a bit. He chuckled as he did so. Luke took notice that the man was a good head taller than Lezah. It made Luke feel uncomfortable, and he had now wished Lezah had kept him in her pocket.

“Well, I knocked and nobody answered at the house. I was just coming by to fix the hole in the barn. Remember, you called me the other day?” Tizen smiled bemusedly.

“That’s right!” Lezah’s recollection hit her and she crossed her arms casually.

Tizen looked Lezah over a bit, his eyes falling onto Luke. “Oh, nice pet, when did you get him?”