NAYTH

  Borden: I’ll meet you in conference room 1 in 5 min

  Nayth: goody

  Borden. Borden wasn’t the man I wanted to see. I stopped pacing and sat down in one of the conference chairs, attempting to focus on my “Read This” folder that Rahel had stacked with things I didn’t care about: summaries of the press about me and Dr. Nova. Inquiries from ministers all over the galaxy wanting to know what I was doing with a Shurwinn woman.

  Rahel always handled all of that without me, but kept me informed with this folder. So at my leisure I was supposed to read it. Which I was doing. Without seeing any of it.

  Finally Borden came in. He paused, looking a bit wary and sat opposite me.

  Where was Ren? I needed my little buddy in my ear to whisper things to make me happy again. Madrano! Madrano had sent me one message: “We’re on our way.” Nothing else. No dates. No starliner itineraries. Radio silence; they weren’t answering!

  They lived on the other side of the galaxy, and he expected me to just wait here for them to fall out of the sky and catch them? I’d strangle him with my bare hands, if he ever got here.

  My hands on Peydran’s neck.

  Ah, there it was: a smile on my face.

  “Cripes, Carmidee. You’re a scary bastard today. First scowling, now bliss? Do I want to know?”

  “Strangling. Try it, Borden. Instant mood fixer.”

  “Florians,” he rolled his eyes then continued, “I know neither of us really wants to talk about this—“

  He cut off as I accepted an incoming video transmit.

  “Thank the clouds. Wait—are you naked on a starliner?”

  “Florians!” Borden cursed.

  “We have no shame,” Ren said.

  “We’re not Florians! Shurwinn hotels are normal,” Peydran pronounced.

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  Laughing, Borden got up to come around and see my Shurwinn friends.

  “Wait,” Ren teased. “Naaaayyyth are you with a maaaan? Does Ryst know? Is she into it?”

  I stood up, hugged Borden, and kissed his cheek.

  He shoved me—hard. “Oh, hell, no. Florians are disgusting. Get off me, you pig!”

  “Feisty,” Ren quipped.

  Peydran laughed along with me. My mood was instantly better. I kinda wanted Borden to hit me. Maybe we could go down to the dojo and smash each other around for a bit.

  “So, naked and unashamed, I’m glad to see you are at least on a starliner. You know I couldn’t get itinerary information from Shurwinn, no matter my galactic connections? Do you know what you’ve been doing to me? Radio silence, Madrano?!” I scolded.

  “Aww, honey,” Peydran said. “Nayth missed us so much he got his undies in a twist. What’re we going to do about it?”

  “Let’s tell him I asked you to marry me, and you said ‘Yes!’”

  “HO! HO! GUYS!” I shouted at them. “GUYS! Congratulations! Wait, wait. Ryst isn’t here. I gotta—“

  “We already told her,” Peydran said.

  “Does she know you’re coming here? I didn’t tell her.”

  “No,” Ren shook his head. “We want to surprise her. I wrote her a love song. We just need somewhere to sing it for her—ahh. Just you and Ryst, though. Not everybody.”

  “Okay, okay,” I nodded. “There’s apartments, conference rooms, the dojo. Any of that sound right?”

  “Dojo,” Peydran confirmed.

  “How’s your falsetto, Nayth?” Ren asked.

  I smiled and sang out, “Kiss me always, never stop, baby. Don’t you stop.”

  Ren grinned, “Call me back for rehearsal when you finish that tryst.”

  When the screen went dark, I felt at peace inside. Borden could say whatever the hell he wanted to me now, and I wouldn’t care.

  “Alright Borden. What’s so urgent?”

  “Ryst can see the future.”

  “I believe we’ve established that. Or something like it. Threads of reality. Things that could be but haven’t been chosen. It’s rather confusing. Possibility is not certainty. It’s madness if anything. She’s remarkable to even be sane. Did you need something?” I asked lightly.

  “Nice, Nayth. nice. Way to serve that with a side of guilt.”

  I smiled my strangler smile.

  “Fine, we’ll go to the dojo and work this out. But if there’s something she can do to help us. . . It isn’t about me. We want children, Nayth, and you know what I am. This is about family and taking care of Nika and our kids. I have no idea what traits I could pass on.”

  I gave up. “Borden, I don’t think this is optional for Ryst. She can't turn it on and off. You saw what happened to her when she met you and Nika. She told you that just looking at you—at that green light that you give off, or whatever it is that she sees when she turns her senses towards you—it hurts her. Even if she wanted to try and decipher all of that, do you think she can tell you more about your own life than you can tell yourself?”

  He put his hands up in a backing down motion. “Alright, alright Nayth. Just—will you tell me? If she sees something about me or Nika? Will you tell us? Even—even if it isn’t good?”

  I sighed. “Borden, Ryst is the most honest person I’ve ever met. I don’t think she’s capable of lying. She has to hide a lot, and I think she hates that. She just wants everyone to be open and genuine. I’m confident that if she sees something you need to know, she'll tell you. Okay? Does that help?”

  He nodded. “Thanks. I’m glad you know.”

  “Me too. I appreciate the trust you and Nika are showing us. Now, the dojo? Are you going to spar me without tearing up the foundation of my villa? Will there be earthquakes?”

  “Burying people in molten rock, Nayth. Try it. Instant mood fixer,” he smiled.