The Law of Glork Pt. 04

It was just a dream. He was dreaming. Jack repeated this to himself as he tried to slow his breathing. He had hadn't had nightmares in years, but apparently meeting a snake the length of a semi-truck could change that.

He wished it had just been about being chased. He could justify that and throw it down to psychology -- it had been scary, but he was safe now.

Instead, he dreamed it was talking to him. He couldn't remember exactly what it had said, but he could feel the impact it had had on him.

He gagged and doubled over, barely managing to keep his retching under control. He took a few deep breaths through the nose and let them out slowly. He closed his eyes and tried to make sense of what he had seen.

Those eyes were eerily human. He had noticed them before, but there were bigger issues he had been dealing with. Even weirder than the apparent intelligence it had was the fact that he had seen no other creature on this planet with those kinds of eyes.

He buried his face in his hands. Outside the hole in the wall that formed the window, he could see the sky was still dark. He sure wasn't getting back to sleep.

Jack laid back and shifted to get comfortable. He still wasn't used to the lack of soft bedding. If he wasn't so exhausted every day, it might be difficult for him to get to sleep. As it was, the 36 hour day was hard enough to deal with.

The hunting was starting to take its toll on him -- physically and emotionally. His muscles were adapting to the gravity much better, and he hardly noticed it anymore, even though he was sure he was moving slower than on earth.

He closed his eyes. Earth. He hadn't had much time to dwell on it, but he probably wasn't going home. Ever.

Oddly enough, the thought didn't really faze him. On the one hand, it was familiar and convenient. On the other...

What was the point? Live out in comfort all his days? The whole reason he had joined the NASA engineering team was to contribute to something important, give something to the later generations. If he could just convince the Vagonals to reinstate the interplanetary program, then maybe he still could.

He sighed. He'd miss the comforts of home, though. Chocolate, recliners, scrambled eggs, air conditioning, the radio... Eating moss and cheese was a bit of a decline.

Jack shook his head. How could they be capable of wormhole travel and not even have a grocery store? It all seemed so backwards. If the politicians back home knew how these people lived, their tune of fear and caution would completely reverse.

The thought saddened him. They had developed past taking advantage of native inhabitants, right? He hoped so.

Then again, he was sure he was missing something. They built spacecraft. They had centuries -- no, wait, millenia -- of peaceful development and growth. Were they hiding something until they trusted him better? If not, what else could answer him?

He stretched and pulled himself out of bed. The bowl was an honestly ingenious design. He never rolled out of bed, and the curvature offered the illusion of privacy. All it was missing was pillows.

He went downstairs (could he call it that? Downramp?) when a noise outside caught his attention. Upon investigation, he was surprised to discover that Nelra was already awake.

She was at a nearby table, rolling a strand of moss and grinding it. Curious, he approached her. "What are you--?" He coughed and switched over to Vagonal with some effort. "What are you doing?"

She glanced at him. "Preparing breakfast."

He nodded. "I meant specifically."

She huffed. "I can either describe the process to you, or I can have breakfast ready in time. Pick one."

"Okay, okay." He backed away. "You do what you have to."

He returned to the house. He had spare time for once, but he didn't know what to do with it, especially since no one was awake. He opted to check in on everyone.

Howard was snoring loudly, which made Jack smile. Some things never changed, even across planets. It was a relief no one had to share a room with him -- now or on the Nike.

Sara and Lily were both still asleep. He hadn't seen their room before, and it hadn't occurred to him that they had to share the bdl (bed bowl thing). Come to think of it, did Vilet and Lizbeth share theirs?

He passed Lizbeth on his way to check on them. She offered a small, polite smile before continuing downstairs. He gave her a nod, but she didn't seem interested in talking.

He peeked into their room and locked eyes with Vilet. She froze, in the process of dressing. They held eyes for a moment before she snapped her gaze away and pulled her clothing against her chest to cover herself. "Can I help you?" she asked dryly.

His mouth went dry. This was the first time she had spoken to him directly since he learned the language. He gave his head a quick shake to clear his thoughts. "I, uh..."

He nodded. "Yes. Are you okay? I mean," he added quickly, "Did I do something wrong? Have I hurt you in some way?"

She pursed her lips. "Of course not, dearest," she said sweetly. "You could never make me unhappy."

Her tone sounded sincere, but her eyes were flat. Jack scowled. "Um, okay. Just... let me know if there's something I can do," he muttered as he retreated into the hallway.

She clearly didn't mean a word of it. So why did his body react so? He shifted, trying to adjust for his slight erection. He sighed.

By this time, most people were getting up and it was time for breakfast. As he settled down to eat, he glanced over to Vilet, who refused to meet his gaze.

The conversation was light and harmless, discussing plans for the day and whatnot. Lily and Nelra seemed to be getting along okay, while Sara (much to Jack's surprise) was able to talk with Vilet and Lizbeth. Ksfm joined them a few minutes into their meal, settling down between Howard and Lily on the far side of the table, and struck up a conversation with Howard, leaving Jack alone to his thoughts.

The meat was a welcome change. The texture was almost identical to ground beef in markets back home, and while it was fairly bland, the cheese more than made up for it. The moss merely added some substance to the meal. As long as he didn't think about where the meat had come from...

Howard seemed to share his discomfort, but neither Sara nor Lily had any idea about the true nature of the meat. Better to leave it that way.

Ksfm cleared his throat, and everyone fell silent. "In terms of future plans..." He looked to Jack. "You have been invited to see the council tomorrow morning. I would advise you to have consummated at least one more marriage before then."

The silence quickly became awkward. Nelra and Lizbeth shared a glance, while Vilet didn't even look up. Sara blushed. Lily chuckled. Howard didn't even stop eating.

Jack nodded. "Yes. I know."

"Well?" Nelra interjected. "Which one?"

He blinked in surprise. "Um, well...." He hesitated. "Does it matter to you guys? I don't really-"

Lizbeth straightened suddenly. "I'll do it!" she blurted.

Ksfm nodded. "I guess that's settled then."

"Since you don't have to go hunting..." Lily added, "Maybe you should spend the day with her. Get to know her first."

It was true. It had been several days and he still hardly knew any of his wives, Lizbeth least of all. Jack nodded. "If she's okay with that..."

Lizbeth nodded solemnly. "Yes."

Nelra spoke up. "As for the rest of us, I think we should work on clearing the Qfn pen. It's going to need more room."

Just like that, the meal was finished. As everyone got up, Jack awkwardly shuffled over to Lizbeth. "So... Where do you want to go?"

Her face was impassive. "The crn would be the obvious choice, but our room will be unoccupied."

Jack thought for a moment. "Can we go to your room? At least for a little while?"

She nodded, and they ascended the ramp. As they walked, Jack's mind raced. What was he supposed to say? He burned to ask about what he had overheard last night, but he felt like that would only tell her that he had been snooping. He'd have to be subtle.

Or... He could actually just try to talk to her. What would he say? With Vilet, they had only had a few minutes, and they couldn't even understand each other!

Lizbeth led him into the room and then stood aside as he got a good look at it. There was a wardrobe of a sort pressed against the wall, with clothing folded and placed in small shelves inside it. On the other end of the room was a large basin currently filled with water. And of course, in the center of the room was the bdl.

She watched him expectantly, waiting for him to choose where to go. He shrugged and sat next to the bdl. She sat beside him.

He winced. "How can you sit like that?"

She looked down to where her legs were folded beneath her. She was sitting on her feet in a kneeling fashion. "It's how I was raised. You cannot do this?"

"Not personally. I've tried a few times. I guess I'm just not that flexible." He felt limber enough, but when he attempted that he suddenly felt stiff as a board.

She shook her head. "I don't understand how you can sit so... openly." She gestured to his criss-cross posture. "It seems terribly uncomfortable."

She trailed off, leaving them in uncomfortable silence. Jack coughed. "So... You and Vilet know each other, right? From before this whole thing?"

Lizbeth hesitated. "Yes." She relented. "I am her Keeper. I have been since we were young children."

"Keeper? I don't think I know that word yet."

She thought for a moment. "I am her friend, but it's more than that. We are closer than any friends ever become."

"So..." Jack said slowly. "Like lovers?"

She gave him a blank stare. "She's a woman."

"Yes, I know."

She frowned. "Then what is your question?"

He suddenly felt very stupid. "Nevermind. I guess you don't have that kind of thing here."

She tilted her head, and he explained. "Back home, on earth, sometimes two women or two men will be each other's lovers. Husband and husband, wife and wife."

Lizbeth blinked. "That is impossible. Men have no scr, and women have no vtl. They cannot be lovers. They simply have the same lover, you mean?"             

This was not how he was expecting this conversation to go. "No, I mean..." He hesitated. "Women just rub against each other or use a toy of some kind. Men use each other's buttholes."

She shot to her feet, a flash of anger on her face. "Tell me you are joking."

He stared at her, perplexed by her sudden rage. "Should I be?"

She took a deep breath and sat back down. "Do not tell our people about this custom. It is..."

"Forbidden?"

"Beyond forbidden." She shuddered. "It breaks every rule we know."

Jack tilted his head, curious. "What rules are there that I should know about? I wasn't raised in this culture, but as long as I'm here, I should know what I'm in for."

She nodded. "It's not a list of rules, it's a principle." She clasped her hands together. "To start with, it is known that anything entering a man weakens him, makes him vulnerable, like a woman."

He nodded slowly. "Okay... What about the women?"

"The scr is the vein to the heart. A woman offers her heart and soul to he who takes her." She sighed. "Offering such to a mere 'toy' is blasphemy."

"I see." He thought about that for a moment. "I think I get why you believe using a toy is wrong, sort of, but why is a weak man such a big issue?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Weak men die. Worse, weak men permit their families to die, should they be married."

Oh. Of course. "Speaking of which, when do men normally go down to hunt for the first time? The day after their wedding?"

"No, of course not. Their father determines when they are ready and teaches them to hunt then. Many perish on their second hunt."

"Why the second? Shouldn't the first hunt be the most dangerous?"

"They are rightfully scared on the first hunt. They are reckless and confident on the second."

Made sense. At least they got off an apparently sensitive issue. "So why don't you give up hunting all together? Raise some Qfn and stuff above the surface? That seems a lot easier and less dangerous than this hunting business."

She nodded. "Some have tried. No creature other than the Vgnl can thrive above the surface. Most of them either die or become infertile when exposed to the surface."

Jack thought about that. "So how about a farm below the surface? Like a carved-out cave?"

"The only thing that keeps us safe is the light. Having a single place below ground would only alert predators to our location." She sighed. "It's a complicated question, one that I don't know all the answers to. Ask Ksfm."

He nodded. "Right."

There was a long pause. Finally, she spoke up. "I've told you much about my world. Tell me about yours?"

"What do you want to know?"

She put her hands beneath her thighs. "How about your life?"

Jack hesitated. "I mean, if you really want to know."

He started with his childhood and moved on from there, glossing over his junior high and high school experience. Her original question had seemed indifferent, but she quickly took an interest, asking about all sorts of things in his world. The concept of video games in particular seemed to fascinate her.

"You can make your own world?"

Jack shrugged. "Yeah. I mean, with limitations, depending on what the rules of the game are."

"Incredible."

After her interest started to wane, Jack figured it was a good time to ask a question on his mind. "What's up with Vilet? She seems... upset with me."

Lizbeth raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What makes you say that?"

Jack hesitated. "Something in her mannerisms. Her facial expression, for example."

Lizbeth tilted her head. "I haven't noticed her looking strange."

Jack blinked. "Really? It seems pretty obvious to me."

"Like what?"

He hesitated. "It's hard to explain. It's just little things."

Lizbeth paled. "Interesting," she muttered, looking away.

"What?"

She bit her lip. "Your eyes... You have difficulty adjusting to light, yes?" When he nodded, she pressed on. "I suspect your species needed to see details more than adjust quickly. Perhaps that attention to detail makes faces easier to read for you."

Jack straightened. "If that's true, then your species would never develop the social need to disguise their feelings, which means..."

"You can read minds." She narrowed her eyes. "Or emotions, more accurately. All humans can read us."

Jack took a moment to process that. "Lizbeth, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Can you keep that a secret?"

She took a sharp breath. "You mean..."

He nodded. "Yes."

She hesitated. "It is my duty to tell my mistress everything she wants to know."

Jack thought on that for a second. "Alright. Fine." He squared his shoulders. "But I get the feeling you're not telling me everything. Chalk it up to some weird eyesight issue." He grinned.

She squirmed uncomfortably. "I cannot tell you anything miss Vlt wouldn't want me to say."

How very frustrating. "Alright, then don't. But is there anything you can tell me?"

That took her by surprise. "I, well..."

Jack let her think for a little while. She folded her hands in her lap and looked down at them, her eyes racing as she thought.

"I- I don't know."

Jack nodded, trying to keep his frustration contained. "Do you know why she dislikes me?"

She looked up to him. "Yes."

"And you can't tell me?"

"No."

He sighed. "Was it because of something I did on our wedding night?"

Lizbeth tilted her head. "No. In fact, I think she very much enjoyed herself." She smiled slightly. "I believe that's part of the reason she's avoiding you."

Jack raised his eyebrows as she explained. "She's very much used to being the one in control. She is a master of manipulation in the court. I think whatever the two of you did shook her pretty hard."

That was good to hear. It really stroked his ego. "Why are you telling me all of this? I doubt she would want me to hear this."

She looked down. "These are only my personal observations. It isn't against my duty."

"No, but you didn't have to tell me, either." She looked uncomfortable. "You're hiding something again. If you can't tell me, that's all you have to say."

She looked up to him sadly. "What if I said I do not want to tell you?"

He blinked. "Then I guess it really is up to you to tell me your little secret or not." He tilted his head. "Is it possible that I could guess it?"

"I seriously doubt it."

Jack shrugged. "Alright then. Keep your secrets."

She winced and fell silent, watching her hands as she wrung them together.

He glanced to the window, where the sun was ever so slowly dipping. They probably had a few hours.

He felt like he could trust her. In fact, he had no reason to doubt her. If he really could read facial expressions in a way that Vagonals couldn't, he didn't have to worry about lies nearly so much.

What worried him is what she wasn't telling him. She had confirmed that Vilet disliked him, and it didn't even have to do with their wedding night. What else could she hate him for?

He winced. He had left her in the bdl alone the morning after. That was pretty cold. Was that the reason? From what Lizbeth was saying, it sounded like it probably wasn't. But then what could it be? They had only met a few days ago!

Lizbeth piped up, breaking him from his thoughts. "We have some time. Would you like a massage?"

Jack blinked. "You do massages?"

She nodded. "Miss Vlt is very appreciative of them. Are you interested?"

He smiled. "That sounds wonderful. I'd love a massage."

She gestured to the bdl and he climbed in. "Do I need to get naked, or...?"

"Removing your shirt will suffice."

He nodded and quickly shrugged off the fabric as he laid down in the bottom of the wooden bowl. Behind him, he heard the gentle sound of Lizbeth sliding in next to him.

"Should I be trying to relax?" he asked quizzically.

"If you wish. Miss Vlt usually ponders during these sessions." She gently began rubbing his back, just below the shoulderblades. "She usually begins fairly relaxed and grows more tense as we go along. By the end, she usually relaxes again."

"Huh. I'm not sure that'll work for me."

"Do what feels comfortable, then. Whatever that means for you."

He sighed and closed his eyes, releasing the strain from his muscles. Her hands were soft and very small. He blinked and sat up slightly.

"Do you only have four fingers?"

He looked back and, sure enough, there were only four digits on her hand. "I could've sworn Vagonals had five fingers, like us."

Lizbeth tilted her head. "I suppose you were seeing Ksfm and the other Stargazers. They are all Alc." She wiggled her fingers. "Elna have four. This isn't the same for humans?"

He shook his head. "Both genders have five fingers. How many differences are there between male and female Vagonals?"

She chuckled. "Many, I suppose. I've never thought to keep track. We've been raised almost as two different species. The differences seem natural to us."

"Huh." He laid his head back down and she continued with the rubbing.

They were more different than he had originally thought. At first, he had thought their differences were all basically cosmetic -- different eyes, different colors. The more he learned about them, ironically, the more alien they seemed.

He was distracted from his thoughts as she began gently brushing his back. Her fingers trailed delicately, almost ghostlike, eliciting goosebumps from his skin. She was good. When she had offered a massage, he was thinking more along the lines of a massage from home.

He slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder at her. Her eyes were closed as she traced abstract patterns on his back. He thought about asking about it but opted to just enjoy the process.