* * *
They left the house a few minutes later, after Mia put on her million-year-old shimmer-stone necklace. Korum had already created the small aircraft that would take them to dinner, and Mia climbed in through the dissolving wall, sitting down on one of the floating planks and making herself comfortable. She was already starting to get used to this mode of transportation.
“Are we meeting them at a restaurant?” she asked, curious if such a thing existed in Lenkarda. Thus far, the only meal she’d had outside of Korum’s home was at Arman’s.
Korum nodded. “Something like that. It’s called the Food Hall, and we get a private booth there. The idea is similar to a human restaurant, but there are no waiters of any kind. The food tends to be much fancier than what you’d get at home, with more exotic ingredients than something my house or I would typically go for.”
“So do Ks meet at this Food Hall, just as we would go to a restaurant to socialize?”
“Exactly,” Korum confirmed. “It’s a popular place for business meetings and other such occasions. Dates, also, but most prefer a bit more privacy for that.”
“Why?” Mia asked as the little aircraft took off soundlessly.
“Sex in public is considered rude,” Korum explained, looking at her with a wicked smile. “And dates frequently result in sex.”
Mia felt her face getting warm. “I see. More frequently than in human society?”
“Probably – though I haven’t seen any hard data to substantiate that assumption. Our society tends to be much more liberal about such matters. With the exception of mated couples, everyone’s on birth control, so we don’t have to worry about unwanted pregnancies. Also, there is no such thing as a sexually transmitted disease among the Krinar. There’s really no reason for us not to enjoy ourselves.”
Mia suddenly felt extremely and irrationally jealous, imagining Korum “enjoying himself” with some unknown Krinar female. He’d told her she was the only woman in his life and had been ever since they met, and she believed him – there had been no reason for him to lie. Still, she couldn’t get the images of Korum entwined with some beautiful K woman out of her mind.
Before she could ask him any more questions, the aircraft landed softly in front of a large white building. Shaped similarly to Korum’s house, it was also an elongated cube with rounded corners, only much bigger in size.
Korum exited first and then held his hand out to her. Mia accepted it, gripping his palm tightly. This was her first public outing in Lenkarda, and she felt both excited and nervous about encountering other Krinar. Mostly, though, she hoped she wouldn’t seem like an idiot to Saret and his assistant. She wished she’d had a chance to review notes from some of her classes, just in case they decided to quiz her on what she’d learned thus far in her psychology studies.
Holding her hand, Korum led her toward the building. As they approached, the wall dissolved to let them in, and they entered a large hallway with opaque walls and a transparent ceiling. Nobody came out to greet them, but there were a number of Ks milling about, both males and females, dressed in a mix of formal and casual clothing.
At their entrance, several dozen heads turned their way, and Mia gripped Korum’s hand tighter, startled to be the center of attention. Korum, however, didn’t acknowledge the stares in any way, walking at a leisurely pace down the hallway. Mia did her best to imitate his composure, looking straight ahead and concentrating on not gawking at the gorgeous creatures who were openly – and rudely, in her opinion – studying her and her lover.
Just before it seemed like they would reach the end of the hallway, the walls to their right parted, and Korum led her into the opening. It turned out to be a small, private room where Saret and another male Krinar were already waiting for them.
As they entered, Saret rose from his floating seat and stepped toward Korum, greeting him with the palm on his shoulder. Her lover reciprocated the gesture with a small smile.
“I’m glad you could come out tonight,” Saret said, looking at them both. “Mia, is this your first time visiting the Food Hall?”
Mia nodded, feeling a little nervous. If all went according to plan, this K would soon be her boss. “Yes, I haven’t been out too much yet.”
“Of course,” Saret said. “Your cheren has been occupied with the trial, like many of us. Now, Korum, have you met Adam?”
“I haven’t had the pleasure,” Korum said, turning to the other Krinar. “But I’ve heard quite a bit about this young man.”
Adam got up and, to Mia’s surprise, held his hand out in a very human gesture. “I’ve heard quite a bit about you as
well,” he said. His voice was deep and smooth, and the way he pronounced certain words in Krinar made him seem almost like a foreigner.
Smiling slightly, Korum reached out and shook Adam’s hand. “I see you haven’t quite gotten the hang of our greetings.”
The other K shrugged. “I’m familiar with the customs by now, but they still don’t come naturally to me. Since you’ve lived in New York for quite some time, I figured you wouldn’t mind.” Then, turning to Mia, he smiled at her warmly and said, “I’m Adam Moore. And you must be Mia Stalis, the girl I’ve heard so much about.”
Mia blinked, not sure if she’d just imagined hearing a K introduce himself with what seemed like a human first and last name. “Yes, hi,” she said, giving him a smile in return. Korum had called him a young man, and she wondered how old he really was. Physically, he seemed to be about the same age as Korum and Saret.
“Adam has a very unusual background,” Saret said, apparently sensing her confusion. “Come, have a seat, and we can chat more over dinner.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Korum said, pulling a pair of floating seats toward them. Mia perched on one of them, letting it adjust to her body shape, and Korum did the same. The seats floated closer toward the other two Krinar, who had also sat down by that time. Now the four of them were arranged in a circle around what looked to be a tiny floating table. Upon closer inspection, Mia could see that the table was actually more like a tablet of some kind, filled with Krinar writing and images of various appetizing platters. A menu, she realized.
“We’ve already requested our meal,” Saret told them. “You can go ahead and choose.”
“Do you want me to order for you?” Korum asked Mia, his lips curving into a dimpled smile.