Page 13 of Ahelno
An alarm buzzed. “Computer, what is that alarm?” I asked. The computer informed me that I had a visitor at the front of the cottage, and the alarm was essentially the doorbell. I asked who was outside, and I heard an unfamiliar voice. “Greetings, human, I am your neighbor Camavel. I wish to meet you.”
I had a neighbor! And perhaps they were friendly. I was excited about this prospect and hurried to the door. I opened it and saw a female not much taller than me. Her muzzle was somewhat faded, and she looked a little…droopy. I wondered if this meant she was elderly. Her movements were a bit slow as she entered, confirming my theory.
“My, you are a lovely thing!” she exclaimed. “Are you a Lumanela? I heard you might be. It is so exciting to have an offworlder in our village. Tell me, is your voice truly magical?” My new neighbor positively radiated curiosity and kindness. I breathed a sigh of relief. I bet she was nosy, though. Givenhow starved I was for friendly company, I was more than happy to oblige.
“Hi, it’s so nice to meet you! Please come in.” I suddenly realized I had no grasp of Ptexari customs, and if Camavel was anything like old women on Earth, she might be a stickler for manners. “I recently arrived on Ptekennan and I don’t know any of your customs, so I apologize in advance if I mess up or say something offensive.” There, that should help.
Evidently this was the right thing to say. “No need to worry, human! I have trained many a youngling in manners, so I will be an excellent guide for you. Now first, you must offer me some Oonag, and then you will allow me to choose a seat in your receiving room. Then after you bring cups of Oonag for us both, you sit on the seat paired with mine so we may talk.” I nearly hugged her. This woman was going to be a godsend, I just knew it.
“Thank you for the instruction. My name is Andie. Welcome to my home, Camavel. May I offer you some Oonag?”
“Yes, you may, how kind of you to ask,” the elder replied, with eyes glowing yellow.
“Please, be welcome and choose a seat wherever you are comfortable,” I said. My grandmother would be proud.
“Why, thank you. I shall choose while you prepare the Oonag.”
Fortunately, I already knew how to get the bitter tea from the replicator. I carried two cups back to the receiving room, and settled on the cushion next to Camavel.
“Now, dear, tell me everything. I have seen the vids from the court testimony and the analysis on the news program, but I want to hear from you. How did you get here?” Over a cup of Oonag, I spilled my guts to Camavel. Shelistened patiently, asking a few questions here and there. She expressed sympathy over my plight, and did not flinch when I burst into tears. When I got to the point where I explained the King considered me his daughter-in-law and set me up in this cottage, she said, “Quite right. It is well that he is doing right by you as his son’s mate, regardless of how that came to be. That affords you a great deal of protection. I would not advise attempting to dissolve your bond to the Prince so quickly. That would leave you extremely vulnerable, and also open to the advances of the other Ptexari males - especially given how beautiful you are.”
“I thought that females initiated the mating ritual,” I said.
“Yes, the formal mating is initiated by the female, but there is usually quite a bit of courtship prior to that.” Camavel explained. “That is why the Prince’s mating was so surprising. He did not properly court you at all! Usually, several males will court a female, until she selects her choice of mate. You are exotic and your voice feels pleasant on the skin. If you were believed to be unmated, there would be males at your door every day with gifts and offers of courtship.”
I had no desire to be courted by anyone. “Well, I suppose I’ll leave it alone for now. The Prince is gone for the next several years anyway.”
“Yes, prison camp! Terrible thing, although frankly, I think he deserved it. Even if a female initiates the mating ritual, he should not have accepted without a proper courtship to get to know her. Males think too much with their cocks,” she declared, matter-of-factly.
I full-on spit my tea out of my mouth. “I’m so sorry! I just wasn’t expecting you to say something like that,” I jumped up and got a cloth from the kitchen to clean up.
Camavel chuckled. “Obviously, I have much to teach you.”
CHAPTER 14
Camavel came by almost every day. She introduced me to other neighbors, walked with me around the village, and showed me how to use the different appliances throughout my cottage. She went through the greenhouse with me and helped me see which fruits and vegetables were ripe and talked about how they were used. I learned that she had two children and five grandchildren, all of whom lived in the city not too far away. She relished in the novelty of her offworlder neighbor, and I was grateful for both her company and her guidance. Honestly, I don’t know how I would have survived that first week without her.
I was still somewhat lonely, but the villagers were all welcoming and seemed kind. I knew it would take time to make close friends.
The doorbell chimed to let me know I had a visitor. The communications panel displayed the person’s name and occupation (a new feature Camavel showed me). The person on my doorstep was a local veterinarian named Karelch.
Time to practice my Ptexari manners. “Greetings, honored visitor,” I said as I opened the door. “Welcome to my humble dwelling. May I offer you a cup of Oonag?”
“A blessing upon your house and all who dwellwithin,” replied Karelch. “Oonag and a bit of conversation would be welcome.”
I ushered Karelch to the receiving room while I went to fetch the tea. He had a satchel around his front, and a small, furry head peeked out at me as Karelch chose a seat.
I came back to the receiving room with the tea and some napkins. I had learned from my last incident. “I am Andie, although I suspect you know that already,” I began. “What brings you to my home today?”
“Greetings, Andie, I am Karelch, the veterinarian. Our village does not have a medic, so the King asked me to look in on you once you had settled in.” I wasn’t sure if I should be grateful for the King’s thoughtfulness or insulted that he thought I should be evaluated by a vet like a dog.
“Medics and veterinarians have the same level of training,” Karelch said, as if sensing my thoughts. “At the end of our training, we choose which beings we prefer to treat. Although you are not, of course, an animal, the procedures to evaluate health are essentially the same. I often treat Ptexari here in the village who do not wish to travel into the city to see a medic.”
Mollified a bit, I said, “Ok. What do you need me to do?”
“I brought a portable medscanner with me. If you could simply lie down wherever you are comfortable and allow me to scan you, that should be sufficient.”
So this was bizarre, but I figured it was best to go with the flow. I lay down on the floor, and Karelch removed the satchel and placed it on a cushion. He pulled a handheld device from his pocket, pointed it at the top of my head, and slowly started to drag it down towards my feet.
