Tony and I politely sipped our tea.
“I don’t mind taking him off your hands,” I said. “He seems comfortable here and really I have so little going on, I don’t mind keeping an eye on him. We only have three other guests right now, so he won’t bother anyone.”
“I thought as much,” Mr. Rodriguez said. “I have his things in the van.”
“No Oporians?” Tony asked.
The Oporians were basically a larger version of the Ku. Although they came from a different planet, they looked remarkably similar. They also thought the Ku were a tasty snack.
“No. Our permanent guest, a vampire, and a Hiru.”
“A Hiru?” Mr. Rodriguez sat up straighter. “That’s rare.”
“Yes, it was a bit of a surprise.”
“What did you do with the room, if you don’t mind my asking? The common wisdom says black and windowless, but I always felt some doubt about that.”
“It’s a bit difficult to explain. I can show you if you would like.”
I nodded at the inn. A screen descended from the wall and the image of the Hiru’s room appeared in it, with the glowing clouds. The inn always recorded still images just before a guest entered the room, so I would have a record.
Mr. Rodriguez stared at it. “Do you think I could see it? In person?”
He wasn’t asking to see the actual room. That would disrupt the guest’s privacy. “I’ll be happy to make a duplicate.”
Three minutes later we stood in an exact replica of the Hiru’s suite. Tony dipped his hand into the pool. Mr. Rodriguez stared at the clouds, his face lit by their glow.
“Why the sky?” he asked.
“It seemed right. The guest liked it. He loves to float and look at the sky.” He’d been doing precisely that for the last few hours.
Mr. Rodriguez frowned. “I don’t know if anyone told you this, but you have a gift.”
Oh wow. The highest compliment one innkeeper could give to another. “Thank you.”
He looked back at the sky. “Food for thought.”
“Of course, with the Hiru staying here there is the threat of Draziri,” I said. “What is the Assembly’s stance on Draziri?”
“Are you worried there will be repercussions against you if you continue to provide sanctuary?”
“No, but the Draziri bring a higher risk of exposure. They don’t care.”
“That’s not your concern,” Mr. Rodriguez said.
“Dad,” Tony said.
“Sorry, that sounded much harsher than I intended.” Mr. Rodriguez looked chastised.
“There are five of us,” Tony said. “He’s dealing with us all day so he can’t turn the Dad Mode off.”
“What I meant is, what the Draziri do is on them. You, as an innkeeper, have only one primary goal - to keep your guests safe. That is the foundation of who we are. You chose to accept the Hiru as your guest. It’s now your responsibility and duty to do whatever is necessary to keep him safe. Even if the Draziri choose to invade the planet because of it, their lapse in judgment isn’t your problem. Your obligation is only to your guest. The Assembly knows this. The Draziri aren’t the first threat we've faced and won’t be the last. We do not cower.”
Okay. Nice that we cleared that up.
“It’s good to know that the danger exists,” Mr. Rodriguez said. “I’ll help you draft a message to the Assembly. It’s the least I can do. If we have to contain a large-scale event, it’s always best to be prepared.”
“Thank you. Would you like to stay for dinner?”
“Are you kidding me?” Tony said. “Yes.”
“Apparently, we would.” Mr. Rodriguez grinned.
I led them from the room.
Dangerous or not, right or wrong, the Hiru was my guest. That part wasn’t in doubt. I would do whatever was necessary to keep him safe.
I still had no idea if I would take his offer.
* * *
We decided to eat on the porch. A Texas winter had more moods than an emo teenager, and since the day turned out to be freakishly warm and beautiful, it seemed a shame to waste it.
Orro had sprinted through the kitchen for hours, slicing, and tasting, and tossing spices, and the smell coming from his stove made me drool.
Mr. Rodriguez and his son sat outside, chatting with my sister, Arland, and Caldenia. I could hear Arland’s laugh from the front room. He sounded like a chuckling tiger. Helen and Beast ran around on the lawn. I'd found a spinball in the garage. The grapefruit-sized sphere zigzagged on the grass making wild turns and changing colors, and Helen and Beast were having entirely too much fun chasing it. They had invited the Ripper of Souls, but he’d declined and now watched them from the window, scandalized.
At first Wing refused to come out because facing Mr. Rodriguez was too scary, but the aroma of Orro’s cooking finally reached his room, and he too scurried to the table. Mr. Rodriguez pretended not to see him.
Everyone was here except for one.
I retreated to the kitchen and dialed Sean’s cell.
“Yes?”
“What are you doing for dinner?”
“This and that.”
He was probably going to eat by himself in an empty kitchen. I hadn’t seen him leave the subdivision that often. He probably didn’t even have groceries. I pictured Sean sitting alone at his table staring at a piece of moldy cheese.
“We are having a big dinner. You’re welcome to drop by.”