“You’re late, Prax,” he said. “If you don’t hurry, you won’t get any breakfast.”
“I know,” Prax said, opening his door.
“It serves you right. I should think by now you’d be civilized enough to sleep indoors.”
Prax smiled, well used to this level of insult. “Being civilized has nothing to do with where you sleep. It has to do with what you do when you’re awake.”
Tinibu snorted. “We never should have taught you to read.”
Prax laughed and went to take a shower. He did miss breakfast, but he made up for it at lunch.
Rishi watched him eat and smiled. “If everyone knew about us, you could eat breakfast in my room, with me. It might be fun.”
Prax shook his head. “No, lady.”
Rishi laughed. “Hari is right. You’re very like a kooja sometimes.”
PRAX felt much better after he had told Rishi his secret. He spent the next two weeks in a pleasant fog and had begun to think they could actually conceal the change in their relationship indefinitely when the door to his room chimed one morning while he was dressing.
It was Tinibu. “Hello, Prax.”
“Good morning,” Prax said, pulling on his boots. “Did you want something? I was just on my way to eat.”
“I thought I should warn you,” Tinibu said, “before you go into the dining room. Chen and Ogilvy were on early patrol this morning. They saw you leave the house from Mistress Trahn’s private door.”
Prax stood for a moment, absorbing the impact of this revelation. He reached for the other boot. “I suppose it’s common knowledge now?”
Tinibu nodded. “It’s pretty hard to keep something like that a secret, Prax.”
“So what are they saying?” Prax asked.
Tinibu grinned. “Mostly they’re trying to figure out who won the pool.”
“What?” Prax asked, astonished.
“We couldn’t let you know about it,” Tinibu said defensively. “It wouldn’t have been fair if you knew who had which weeks.”
Repulsed and angry, Prax said a few words in his own language that seemed to offend Tinibu not at all.
“It’s no good getting mad,” he said. “You’d better get used to it pretty quickly unless you’re going to move in with her and quit working with us?”
Prax frowned. “Why would I do that?”
“Some people would. Given a tumble by someone with her money, they’d milk it for all it was worth.”
It was close enough to a major insult to make Prax clench his jaw. “I’m not interested in her money.”
“I figured you weren’t.”
“Is there a bet on that, too?”
“Cool down!” Tinibu said. “You go in there like this, and you’ll be in trouble again. Don’t get so hot over little things.”
“They’re not so little to me.”
“You’re getting prickly again. You don’t make it easy to be your friend, do you?”
“I’m sorry.” Prax realized belatedly that Tinibu was trying to do him a favor. “Thank you for telling me, Tinibu. I appreciate it.”
Tinibu nodded. “No problem. Just take it easy, okay? Don’t fly off the handle. Stop and think before you do anything.”
“I’ll try. Tinibu!” Prax called as his friend was leaving.
The big Terran looked back over his shoulder inquiringly.
“What date did you have in the pool?” Prax asked.
Tinibu grinned. “Next week. I’m now a disinterested observer.”
PRAX walked into the staff dining room knowing that it would be rough. He was right.
Someone hooted when he walked in. Someone else made a kissing noise. There was a general flurry of ribald comments and everyone in the room was staring at him. Even Lidiya looked at him anxiously.
Prax felt his face grow hot. He sat down and tried to put food on his plate, but Qualhuan put out a massive hand and took his wrist.
“I’m sorry, Prax,” the Miloran said. “It’s nothing personal, but I’ve got this week in the pool. It’s a lot of money. We need to know the date.”
Prax put down his fork. Qualhuan let go of his wrist, and Prax leaned back in his chair. He surveyed the faces around the table, and then he folded his arms over his chest. “What date would that be?”
“Oh, come on, Prax,” Ogilvy said. “Everyone knows what’s going on. We saw you leaving Mistress Trahn’s private entrance at a very early hour this morning. It didn’t take a spatial fold engineer to figure out that you weren’t there to clean the windows. We just need to know how long it’s been going on so we can figure out who won the pool.”
Prax said nothing. They might all have no manners, but he was an Elliniká.
Qualhuan groaned. “The man is as stubborn as they come. Come on, Prax,” he said, his tone coaxing. “If you won’t tell us the date, just tell us who won. We’ll show you the chart.”
“No,” Prax said.
They argued with him for several minutes, but Prax refused to speak.
Finally, Lidiya stood up and shouted at them to be quiet. “Leave the man alone! If you must have a date, count back nineteen days. And let me tell you, Mistress Trahn has never looked happier than she has in those nineteen days.”
Before anyone could comment, Lidiya turned around and ran back through the kitchen.
Prax was as amazed at her speech as everyone else was. He had finally found someone on Subidar with manners.
The security staff were busy counting back on their pool chart. When they determined the actual date, there was a hoot of laughter. Chio was the winner.
Qualhuan laughed. “Well, Chio, this may be as close as you get to getting lucky with a woman. You got lucky about someone else getting lucky.”
Having determined the disposition of the prize money, the group turned their attention back to Prax.
Ogilvy was the only one willing to ask a direct question. “So, Prax, is Mistress Trahn any good in bed?”
Prax tried to remember what Hari had told him, but all he could think about was making Ogilvy pay for his insolence. He dropped his fork and started to rise.
Qualhuan came around the table and pushed Prax firmly back into his seat. “You sit,” the Miloran said. “Count to ten or something. And you,” he said to Ogilvy. “Don’t ask stupid questions. Did you think he’d answer that?”
“Why not?” Ogilvy said. “Besides, if she likes variety, maybe I could see if she’s interested.”
Enraged, Prax tried to pull out of Qualhuan’s grasp, but the Miloran had both hands on his shoulders and he was leaning on Prax with all his not inconsiderable weight. Prax might as well have tried to move a mountain.
Tinibu had come into the room in time to hear Ogilvy’s last remark.
“Wonderful!” he said. “We get rid of one fool and now we have a new one. Can’t you see the man’s feelings are involved? Try to show some respect.”
Ogilvy looked at Prax in astonishment. “Sorry,” he mumbled. As an apology, it was awkward, but sincere.
Qualhuan gave Prax a buffet on the side of his head that left his ears ringing. “Prax accepts your apology. Don’t you, Prax?”
Prax put his hands on his head to make sure nothing was broken. His anger had abated, and he knew better than to start a fight with Ogilvy. “Yes. For now.”
Rurhahn stuck his head in the door. “Day shift is starting, if anyone’s interested.”
The room cleared out quickly as everyone went to their assignments. Prax was on patrol walking the perimeter with Tinibu. Prax liked perimeter detail better than the other routes they took to check out the estate. It was a good long hike for one thing, and he often saw wildlife in the clear space between the trees and the force field.
Tinibu studied him as they walked along. “Nineteen days. You did pretty well to
keep it a secret for nineteen days.”
Prax sighed but made no comment.
“Why did you bother?” Tinibu asked. “Is Mistress Trahn shy about it?”
“No. She doesn’t seem to care who knows.”
“So you’re the shy one?”
Prax shrugged. “I don’t think of it as being shy. My people live very close together because we need each other. But we always give each other room to be alone. We would never openly discuss someone else’s private life.”
Tinibu smiled broadly. “Be careful around Qualhuan, then. Some Milorans seem to have no boundaries about what they’ll bring out into the open. I could tell you a surprising amount about how Milorans have sex.”
“I don’t want to know.”
“That’s why I’m warning you. It’s actually very interesting, but I don’t think you’re ready for it.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for that.”
“I don’t know,” Tinibu said. “You didn’t think Mistress Trahn cared for you either. It seems that you were wrong?”
He had a point. Prax smiled reluctantly. “It seems I was.”
“Still,” Tinibu said, going back to his previous question, “it’s lucky for me you are a little shy. If you weren’t, you might have taken Ingrid up on her offer, and she might not be with me now.”
Prax was unsure of the other man’s meaning. “Do you mean you wouldn’t be interested in her if she had gone to bed with me? Why not? You didn’t seem to care about Beecher or anyone else.”
“That’s not what I meant at all. If you had said yes to Ingrid, she might not have come and asked me to fix her closet door.”
“Oh.” Prax thought it over. “Couldn’t you have asked her instead?”
“Maybe,” Tinibu said. “But Ingrid is one of those women who like to make the first move. Some women do. I don’t know why.”
“Maybe she feels she has more control that way?”
“Maybe.”
They walked in silence for awhile. Prax could walk very quickly; he was used to walking as a form of transportation. Tinibu never had any trouble keeping up because he was so much taller.
After a while, Tinibu broke the silence. “What are you going to do now, Prax? Now that everyone knows, I mean.”
“What do you mean? Do about what?”
“You don’t have to wait until it’s dark and sneak out anymore. No point in it. Will you two get up from the dinner table and go back to her room?”
“I don’t know. I hadn’t thought it through that far yet. I suppose it’ll depend on what she wants to do.” Prax sighed forlornly. “It won’t become an issue for a few days, anyway, because I’m working nights for a while.”
Tinibu chuckled. “I hope she takes that news better than Ingrid does.”
BEFORE Prax could remind Rishi about his schedule, he had to walk past the common room. Fortunately, it was nearly empty, and only a few people called out comments, but when he stepped into the kitchen, Thulan stood with her hands on her hips, waiting for him.
“Well,” she said, “it seems as if you’ve gotten used to sleeping in a bed after all?”
Prax kept his temper and stood his ground.
Thulan snorted. “Lucky for you she looks happy. If she starts looking unhappy, I’ll know whom to blame.”
“I would never do anything to hurt Mistress Trahn,” Prax said. “I told you that before.”
Thulan nodded. “You did. I remember it. See that you keep your word.”
She picked up an enormous cleaver and slammed it down on a piece of what looked like bright blue meat. The cleaver hit the cutting board with a resounding jolt. Prax walked through to the small dining room and opened the door with relief.
Rishi was sitting there smiling. “You look a little apprehensive. Was Thulan giving you a bad time?”
Prax nodded. “They know, lady. Someone saw me leaving this morning.”
Rishi chuckled as she started to eat. “I thought something was up. Thulan has been fussing around me like a mother bird with one egg left to hatch.”
“They haven’t been so subtle in the common room,” Prax said with a sigh. He helped himself to several slices of roast and a generous serving of vegetables. He hadn’t been able to eat much at breakfast. The meat had turned a more subtle shade of blue after cooking, and actually looked appetizing.
“Was it very bad?”
“Bad enough, but I lived through it.”
Rishi smiled at him so that her dimple showed. “At least now I can do this,” she said, and she leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek.
Prax looked down at his plate in embarrassment. “Someone might see us.”
“But they all know now,” she said in surprise.
“I know they do. But I’m not used to it.”
“The Elliniká don’t kiss in front of other people?”
Prax shook his head. “Friends kiss on the cheek, like you did. Parents and children kiss. But not married people.”
“Didn’t you ever see your parents kiss each other?”
“Of course. We lived in open wagons, and out of doors. But I was never supposed to see. If I happened upon them when they didn’t know I was there, I just looked the other way.”
Rishi looked mischievous. “Didn’t you ever see them doing more than kissing?”
Prax flushed hotly. “Please, lady,” he said in a strangled voice.
“I see that you did. I think I understand. The Elliniká have no secrets. Everyone knows everything about everyone else, but no one says anything or ever admits they saw anything.”
“Yes. I miss it sometimes,” Prax added regretfully.
“You’ll just have to learn to adjust,” Rishi said firmly. And she leaned over and kissed him on the lips just as the door opened and Thulan walked in.
Prax jumped as if he had received an electric shock, but Rishi just laughed.
“Did you want something, Thulan?” she asked.
“It’s about the wedding cake.” Thulan’s grim smile told Prax she was enjoying his discomfort. “You never said what kind of cake they wanted.”
“I believe Hari said Anika had a preference,” Rishi said, “but I don’t remember what it was. I’ll have to ask Hari again.”
Thulan went away, and Rishi smiled at Prax.
“Finish your lunch,” she said. “I won’t touch you again. Not now, anyway.”
Prax went back to eating with a sense of relief.
“What are you doing this afternoon?” Rishi asked. “Are you working?”
“Not exactly. I’m on call this afternoon. And remember, I have to work tonight.”
Rishi looked disappointed but then her face cleared. “I could come to your room this afternoon instead.”
Prax put his glass down with a thud. “No, lady.”
“Why not? No one would hurt me in the security wing, would they?”
“No. But it wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Don’t you want to see me?”
“Of course.”
“Then why can’t I come?”
Prax sighed. “Please, lady. Don’t come to my room. I’ll come to you again as soon as I’m not working.”
“How many nights do you have to work?”
“Only three.”
“I don’t want to wait three nights.”
“I don’t want to wait, either, but we must.”
A thought seemed to strike her as she gave him a calculating look. “When are you off duty?”
“All day tomorrow until night shift.”
“Well, then,” she said, “that’s easy. Come see me tomorrow. I’ll take a day off work. I deserve it.”
Prax was surprised. “Can you do that?”
Rishi laughed. “I’m the boss. I can give myse
lf a day off as easily as I can give it to someone else.”
“I’ll come in the morning, then.”
“Come as soon as you finish work,” she said. “It would be nice to wake up and find you there for a change.”
It would be pleasant to wake up beside Rishi and be able to stay for a while. “Very well, lady.”
AFTER dinner, Prax went back to his room to take a nap before he had to report for duty. When the alarm woke him, it was difficult to make himself wake up. Working nights was always hardest on the first night. Prax was used to it, because the Elliniká always took turns watching the herd at night, but it was still his least favorite shift.
Prax was paired with Wolly. They took the perimeter route first, trudging along in the moonlight. Wolly wore a night scope visor but Prax preferred to trust his own eyesight and his knowledge of the grounds. They didn’t talk much. Prax felt no need to make idle conversation, and there wasn’t that much that he had to say to Wolly.
The other man seemed to have something he wanted to say to Prax, however. An hour after the shift started, he cleared his throat.
“Say, Prax,” he said, “is it true you have a thing going with Mistress Trahn?”
Prax realized that Wolly hadn’t been on duty or on call all that day. Because he had a home away from the estate, he would only have heard about the staff’s discovery when he reported for night shift.
“Yes,” Prax said. “It’s true.”
Wollongong shook his head in disbelief. “Isn’t that kind of dangerous? What if you two have a fight? She could tell the chief to fire you.”
“If she wants me to leave, then I will leave.”
“It sure sounds like playing with fire to me. Still, it’s your life.”
They finished their first rounds and took a break in the otherwise empty common room. Wollongong leaned back in his chair and drank a cup of coffee. Prax didn’t bother. He was no longer feeling sleepy and he detested the coffee that came from the food synthesizer, anyway. Thulan’s coffee was another thing entirely.
After their break, Prax and Wolly got up to take their next rounds through the estate, first going through the public rooms and the corridors of the house, and then walking a circuitous route through the interior of the grounds. Wolly was inclined to grumble about having to walk through the dark, shadowy parts of the estate.
Worlds Apart (ThreeCon) Page 27
