“Kindred have much better vision than humans—in fact, I believe all our senses are sharper. Including our sense of smell.”
He turned to stare at her and Danni felt her heart rate jump up another notch. Oh God, was he making some kind of oblique reference to the way she had sniffed him just now? Or was he talking about their earlier conversation when he’d said he could smell that she hadn’t had sex in a long time…and then admitted he hadn’t either? Either way, it was horribly embarrassing.
Oh, why does everything with him have to be so damn awkward?
Refusing to answer him, she looked back to where he had pointed. This time she saw a figure making its way towards them. He appeared to be moving very oddly but after a moment, Danni realized it was because he was riding on some kind of creature. Whatever it was, it moved pretty quickly because in next to no time the rider—who was clearly Kozen—was waving at them eagerly.
“I wonder what’s the name of that animal he’s riding?” she murmured, just to make small talk as they waited for Kozen to get to them.
“A better question is, why would an advanced society with spaceflight and interstellar communications ability use animals to get around?” Bravik growled. “I didn’t see a single shuttle or ship on the way in here.”
“Me either,” Danni murmured back. She felt a little surge of excitement.
Look at us, having a normal conversation! Maybe now that the mission has officially begun he’ll start acting more professional and we can get over all this awkwardness.
And then Kozen reached them and she was too busy smiling in a friendly, non-threatening way to prove what a nice person she was to think any further.
“Greetings my friends!” Kozen exclaimed, riding right up to them.
The creature he was on—it looked a little like a cross between a horse and a camel—at least, it had a body like a horse and a long neck like a camel—came to an abrupt stop. So did the other riding creature which was tied with a rope to the saddle of the first one and had been following directly behind it.
This one had no rider and it was a blinding white with large, beautiful blue eyes. Kozen’s riding creature, by contrast, was pure black with green eyes. Both had long eyelashes and cocked their heads to one side to study Danni and Bravik with apparent interest.
“Hello, my friend—thank you for coming to meet us,” Bravik said, making a sort of bow to the other male.
“Ah, our new Kindred allies! Of course I had to come and meet you. I apologize that I could not let you land among our homes, but we had to be certain of you first,” Kozen said.
He dismounted and made a twirling motion with one hand above his head while bowing low at the same time. He was bare-chested, as he had been on the viewscreen, and besides the thick silver rings around his neck, he was wearing nothing but a simple pair of white trousers and some straw sandals. Both items of clothing looked like they had been made by hand.
“Of course—that’s completely understandable,” Bravik said as their host straightened up. “We’re happy to answer any questions you might have before we go any further into your lands.”
“Ah, but I have no questions,” Kozen said, smiling. “Not now that I see you have brought the other half of your heart with you.” He looked at Danni and made the same, hand-twirling bow that he had made to Bravik. “My lady! Truly Commander Bravik has been paired with beauty itself.”
“Oh, er…” For the first time, Bravik looked somewhat ill at ease. “I think you may have misunderstood my relationship with Dr. Adams,” he said to Kozen. “We’re, uh, colleagues. We’re not Joined or married or—”
“You are not Joined to this lovely creature?” Kozen gave Bravik a horrified look. “Do you mean to tell me that you traveled through oceans of space to come to us without the other half of your heart? How are you not dead of longing for her?”
“Er, no—I think you’ve misunderstood,” Bravik tried again. “I’m not Joined to anyone. I’m what we call ‘single’—not affiliated with any female. And Dr. Adams is single, too,” he added.
Kozen looked scandalized.
“What? The Kindred have sent us two UnJoined Ones to act as ambassadors to the H’raken people? What kind of insult is this? How dare you send the dregs of your society to fill a place of honor?”
“I…we…” Bravik clearly didn’t know what to say to this but Danni was beginning to understand.
They must be a society where everybody’s married and it’s some kind of sin or shameful thing to be single, she realized. So they’re getting offended because they think the Kindred sent them two outlaws or social misfits as ambassadors.