Tepin's Muse: Gay Edition

Movement caught his eye, Tepin leaning over to peer into the depths of the pool once more. Several Krell were lurking near the bottom, four or five meters below him, the water clear enough that he could easily make them out. They almost looked like completely different creatures. The slow, plodding gait that he was accustomed to seeing on land was all but forgotten, replaced with a grace and fluidity that he would never have ascribed to them. They swam with such speed, cutting through the water like scaly torpedoes, acrobatic and nimble. Never mind semi-aquatic, Tepin would have described them as primarily-aquatic, they were so sluggish and out of their element on land.

He felt his heart skip a beat. He had always seen the Krell as resilient, strong, but this new elegance had taken him off-guard. Could they become any more beautiful? How he would have loved to paint them while they were swimming, but he didn't want to risk dropping his visor into the pool. It wasn't waterproof to these depths, and there would be no way for him to get a new one so many light-years from home. Fortunately, his people had nigh photographic memories. He would make a mental note of the scene and capture it later on.

***

After a good half-hour of swimming, in which Tepin had been content to lie on her back and watch the other Krell frolic beneath the water, Theesah clambered out of the pool. Tepin hopped down from her back, and she shook herself, the motion making the muscles in her tail and chest ripple as he shielded himself from the spray of water.

"I didn't know that your people could swim like that," Tepin said, peering up at her as he bobbed along at her side. "It was more like...dancing than swimming."

She slapped her tail on the floor, making a huffing sound that almost resembled laughter. He wasn't sure what it meant, but she seemed pleased with his assessment.

"Can I show you something?" he asked, Theesah cocking her head at him. "I've not been on the station for very long, but I have made one discovery."

She nodded her head, then gestured to the exit with her snout.

"I suppose I should...climb up and give you directions?" he asked meekly. She patted her shoulder, and his feathers flashed pink, Tepin leaping back up to his usual perch. It drew a few odd looks from the other gym-goers, but he was no longer on Valbara, there were no judgmental females around to pick him apart. He didn't have to spare a thought for how he looked, or what people thought of him. He wasn't wearing any paint on his scales, his clothes were mismatched, and he was riding a giant alien. What of it?

Theesah lumbered out onto the torus, and he gestured downspin, using the feathers on his arm to signal to her.

"That way!" he said, his Krell companion huffing with amusement as she set off.

***

They arrived at the door to the sushi restaurant, Tepin leaping down from Theesah's back, the Krell cocking her head at the sign. She was so tall that it was level with her snout.

"They call it sushi," Tepin explained. "You'll like it."

She rumbled in a way that sounded distinctly skeptical, Tepin reaching up above his head, taking her hand in his. Her palm was about as wide as his torso, so he couldn't manage much more than wrapping his fingers around the lowest of her seven digits, which was almost as thick as his wrist. She blinked her eyes at him, seeming surprised as he guided her forward. He would have had no hope of pulling her along, but she cooperated, her footsteps making the deck vibrate as she ducked through the doorway. It was large enough to accommodate a Borealan, and so she didn't have too much trouble getting inside, even if her broad shoulders barely cleared it.

Once she was through, she rose to her full height, knocking her head against the ceiling. She ducked a little lower, glaring at up at it. Frankly, Tepin was more concerned for the ceiling than for her.

The restaurant was more populated now, all of the patrons human, a few of them turning to stare at the newcomers. Tepin hadn't seen many of the Krell in this part of the station, they seemed to remain mostly in the military quarter, but there was nothing to indicate that the reptiles weren't permitted to venture where they pleased.

A giant Krell was much easier to notice than a tiny Valbara'nay, and this time, the waitress emerged from the back room behind the counter almost immediately. Her gaze was drawn to the Krell, then she turned her attention to Tepin, recognizing him.

"I didn't expect to see you back so soon, Sir," she said. "Is this...a friend of yours?"

"Yes," he replied, "we would like sushi."

"This way," she said, gesturing towards the back of the restaurant as she suppressed a smile. Tepin became a little worried as they walked along the mirrored floor. Was Theesah heavy enough to crack the surface, maybe damage it in some way? It seemed not, her splayed toes did a good job of spreading out her immense weight more evenly.

They arrived at a booth that was behind one of the pillars, out of view of most of the gawking Earth'nay. A cynical person might assume that the waitress was embarrassed by their presence, but while Tepin wasn't too good at reading Earth'nay body language yet, he got the impression that the seating arrangements were more for their privacy. The woman had been very kind to him during his previous visit.

"I'm afraid that we have no hope of seating a Krell," she muttered, examining the booth and scratching her head pensively. Can he...she...they sit on the floor? Would that be alright?"

Both Tepin and the waitress watched as Theesah loosed a warble, dropping down to all fours. All eight or nine feet of her powerful tail curled around the stone pillar, her torso resting on the floor between it and the booth as she lay her head on the seats. She rested her leathery chin on the cushions, taking up enough room to have seated about three Earth'nay, exhaling a satisfied huff.

"I think that your friend has found...adequate seating," the waitress mused as Tepin slid into the booth beside her. "Would you like me to bring you a menu?"

"May we have another platter?" Tepin asked, the woman nodding her head.

"I should warn you, I don't think we have enough food in stock to come anywhere close to satisfying a Krell," she added. "I'm not sure how much they eat, we haven't had one in here before. That said, I can't imagine it being much more than the Polar who was in here the other day..."

"The same quantity will be sufficient, thank you," Tepin replied. "I want to show her the different flavors."

"Very good," the waitress said with a demure nod. "I'll return with your order shortly."

***

Tepin's mouth began to water as soon as the familiar scents reached his nose. The waitress was returning, the two platters of meat and sushi balanced expertly in her hands. She had to navigate around the far side of the stone pillar in order to reach their table, as Theesah's massive body was barricading the near side. She lay them on the varnished wood, Theesah's snout rising from the cushions beside him to sniff at the air. Krell were amphibious, so they would surely find things like fish and seaweed palatable.

"Enjoy," the waitress said, glancing between the two of them. "I'll be back with your bill when you're done, let me know if you need anything else."

She left them to their own devices, stepping gingerly around Theesah's tail, which rose higher than her knees. Tepin stood up on the cushions, locking his legs. It was easier to reach that way. He selected one of the small pieces of sushi that were wrapped in black seaweed, remembering that the meat was called shrimp. Come to think of it, these really were infinitesimal by Krell standards, they had seemed so substantial to him during his last visit. Oh well, it would still taste the same...

"Try this," he said, offering the morsel to her. "It's called sushi. It's made from fish, rice, and seaweed. That's a kind of ocean plant."

She rumbled, her mouth opening wide, Tepin unable to prevent his feathers from fluttering a shade of alarmed yellow and purple as he stared into her gaping maw. She wouldn't have had much issue swallowing him hole, the pearly white of her jagged teeth contrasting with the odd, azure tint of her mucous membranes. He wasn't entirely sure what to do, and so he reached into her mouth, gently placing the tiny piece of sushi on her blue tongue.

As soon as he had withdrawn his arm, she snapped her jaws shut. It was hard to tell if she had even chewed before swallowing, assuming that she was capable of chewing. Upon reflection, that might not be the case.

"Do you...like it?" Tepin asked hesitantly. She opened her mouth again, waiting patiently for another piece of sushi. "I suppose that means yes."

He selected another morsel, this time one of the pink pieces of salmon on a ball of sweet rice, placing it on her wide tongue and watching her mouth snap shut again. It hadn't been very long since he had last eaten, and the platters were large enough to feed a whole flock, so he picked out only a few pieces for himself as he fed the rest to his giant companion.

It was hard to gauge what Theesah liked and what she didn't, her scaly face was nigh expressionless. It did seem as though the beef got a stronger reaction from her, a warbling sound emanating from deep within her throat when he placed a strip of the grilled meat on her tongue. She kept opening her mouth, and so he kept feeding her, the platters slowly depleting until they were empty. At least he had gotten his money's worth this time, there wasn't a scrap left.

When they were done eating, she relaxed into the cushions, seeming to enjoy resting her massive head on the padded seats. She bumped her long snout into Tepin's thigh, and he looked down at her in confusion.

"What is it?" he asked. "There's no more food, and I'm afraid that I can't afford to buy enough to sate the hunger of someone quite so...large."

She nuzzled him again, loosing a resonating rumble that almost sounded like a purr. His feathers flashed pink as she pushed her nose into his hand, Tepin realizing that she wanted him to stroke it. As she lay her jaw back down on the cushions, he began to run his fingers over her scales gingerly. Her hide was so thick, he doubted whether even a strong Valbara'nay would have been able to drive a blade through it, the texture of her scales at once bumpy and smooth. They felt a little like pebbles that been smoothed by the flow of a stream, rough when taken together, but smooth on an individual basis. The Krell had scutes too, bony plates overlaid with skin that served as even greater protection, overlapping like armor plating. They were nothing like Valbara'nay scales, which were made up of a fine mosaic, as flush as glass when they were properly maintained. That was one thing that Tepin prided himself on, his scales were carefully polished to the point that they shone under the right light. He might neglect his jewelry and his fashion sense when there were no females around to impress, but never his scales.

He ran his hand from her nostrils to her eyes, Theesah seeming to enjoy it. She might not appreciate how appealing a long snout was to his people, it probably wasn't a source of attraction to the Krell. Earlier that day, Tepin hadn't been sure that he would even get to see a Krell in person, and now he was petting one. What would the people back home say if they could see him now?

She began to shift her weight suddenly, rolling upside-down, turning her head so that her underbelly was exposed. Tepin reached out, sliding his hand beneath her jaw. The scales here were more like his own, very fine and smooth, the fat below giving her a fleshy texture. He could see the way that the muscles in her jaw bulged from beneath the skin, almost as large as her biceps. She could probably snap that maw shut with enough force to bend steel.

She rumbled happily as his claws scratched her scales, his palm stroking her chubby underside. Her people had looked so fearsome at first glance, but they were such docile creatures, so gentle. At least until provoked, and then they could charge through trees and concrete barricades like they were nothing. He had seen the footage from the invasion that her people had helped to repel.

After a few minutes of petting, she seemed to be falling asleep, Tepin having to give her a nudge to wake her up. If she passed out in the restaurant, then there was no way anyone was going to be able to move her without some kind of heavy equipment.

***

Once the bill was paid, and Tepin had thanked the waitress once again, they proceeded out of the restaurant and back onto the torus. The sunlamps in the painted ceiling were dimming now, simulating dusk, and the bustling crowds were thinning out. Tepin wasn't sure how long an Earth day was, but it must be getting late. He was becoming rather tired himself, he couldn't remember ever having walked so much, he would probably have collapsed by now if he hadn't run into Theesah.

"I suppose it's time to part ways," he said, Theesah peering down at him as they stood outside the glass doors. "I'm staying in one of the suites downspin, and you'll be headed upspin, back to the military quarter. Is there a way for me to contact you again? I don't feel like I can just walk into the barracks and search for you."

She cocked her head at him, and he loosed an exasperated sigh.

"I suppose you can't answer that, can you?"

Theesah warbled, a sound that came off as oddly mournful to him. Was she sad to see him go?

"Perhaps we can meet here again in the morning," he suggested, "whenever that might come on this station. Wait for me in the planter outside the restaurant, or maybe I'll wait for you?"

His feathers erupted in a display of alarm as she suddenly reached down and picked him up, lifting him off the deck effortlessly. Her hand was large enough that she could easily get it around his torso, like a child playing with a doll, her grip gentle despite her immense strength. She placed him on her shoulder, Tepin's tail waving erratically as he balanced himself, the Krell peering back at him.

"Alright...I guess I'm going with you," he muttered. She huffed happily, setting off in the direction of the barracks, a couple of curious Earth'nay in yellow overalls gawking at them as they dodged out of her path.

CHAPTER 3: INFATUATION

By the time they had reached the Krell barracks again, the sunlamps had turned off entirely, the torus lit only by the yellow glow of lights that were made to resemble streetlamps. Tepin appreciated the twilight, simulating day and night like this must help enormously with the sleep cycles of the crew. There was nothing more disorienting than not knowing what time of the day it was, and trying to sleep in the glare of bright lights. His time aboard the Teth'rak's Fang had taught him that all too well...

He wasn't sure why Theesah had brought him back here, but he was glad to spend more time with her. She certainly seemed to have grown possessive of him throughout the day.

Tepin ducked under the doorway as she lumbered inside, the panel sliding shut behind them automatically after a considerable delay, the sensor waiting until her dragging tail had cleared the threshold. The familiar warmth and humidity was welcome, spending too much time on the torus made him feel like he was about to dry out. The interior was just as they had left it, the cluster of shallow pools in the center of the building occupied by piles of dozing reptiles, lying atop one another in a listless heap as they bathed in the heat of the lamps above. There was a little more activity now, he could see that a few of the recesses in the rooms that they passed by were now occupied. The Krell had dropped down into the cushion-lined bowls, curling up into balls, some of them sharing with their neighbors in spite of there being unoccupied beds nearby. They were certainly social creatures.

Theesah returned to the quarters that they had visited prior, situated in one of the many identical corridors that branched off the expansive main room. It was still empty, if she had any roommates who usually occupied the other recesses, then they weren't here right now. Perhaps they were on-duty, or maybe they had joined the pile in the basking pools.

He hopped down from her shoulder, watching as she made her way over to what he could only presume was her locker once again. She withdrew another of the carved, wooden chests, this one similar in appearance to the one that she had used to assemble the necklace that he was still wearing. It had the same wood paneling, the same frayed rope holding the lid shut. The only noticeable difference was the relief on the lid. It was pictures of flowers and gnarled trees, rather than a carving of frolicking Krell.

Theesah set the heavy box down beside one of the recesses, beginning to unfasten the rope, opening the lid to reveal that it contained perhaps ten wooden vessels. They were large, Krell-sized, each one corked with something that resembled tree bark. It was impossible to see what they contained, Tepin inching closer to get a look as she began to turn one of the plugs.

It came loose with a pop, the Krell setting it down beside her before pulling another from the box. Before long, she had assembled a collection of six containers, each one uncorked. Tepin leaned over to see inside one of the sculpted, wooden pots. It was full of colored liquid, thick and viscous. As he examined them, he realized that each one contained a different color, from a vibrant yellow to a deep blue. Was this food? Some kind of paint? Why was Theesah showing these to him?

"What are they?" he asked, Theesah meeting his curious gaze. She raised her hands in the air, miming a circle with them. "A circle?" he continued, confused. "I don't understand..."

She dipped her hand into one of the pots, withdrawing fingers that had been soaked in the red liquid. It was some kind of dye or pigment, his paint guess had been pretty close. What was she going to paint?

He watched as she leaned forward, beginning to draw a crude circle on the white material that made up the deck. When she was done, she placed her fist on the outside, then gestured to Tepin before moving it inside the red line.

"I am...inside a circle?" he asked skeptically. "What does that mean?"

She dipped her fingers into a different pot, this one full of dark green pigment, beginning to draw within the circle. Tepin found himself hoping that the dye would wash off, he didn't see any other pictograms in the room, and he doubted that the Coalition sanctioned graffiti. Theesah was drawing lizards...no, Krell. There were half a dozen of them within the red circle, their depiction similar to those that had been carved into the lid of the necklace box. The perspective was odd, they reminded him of the primitive cave paintings that were sometimes found in the mountains of Valbara.

Theesah put her fist on the outside of the circle again, then moved it inside, peering down at him expectantly.

"The Krell are inside the circle, and you want me to be in there too?" he asked with a flurry of confused feathers. "What does the circle signify?"

She opened her arms wide, then brought her closed fists to her chest. This was important to her, it meant something significant. Perhaps the circle signified friendship, community, or family. As a Valbara'nay, he was already familiar with the concept of a flock, a family that one elected to join. Was he being invited into Theesah's flock?

His hand wandered to the chunky, wooden pendant on his necklace, his feathers fluttering pink. Theesah seemed to guess from his expression that he had understood, her fat tail slapping against the floor happily. She reached towards him, her arm as long as he was tall, taking him gently by the wrist and guiding him closer. Before he could object, she plunged his hand into one of the wooden pots, Tepin grimacing as he felt the odd substance seep around his fingers. It was cool and viscous, very much like oil paint, and he withdrew his hand to see that his scales were stained with the red substance.