Stetho’s grey eyes paled. He bowed low to Etska. “I apologize, my lord, but Theena has a presence once you get to know her.”
Athena was smug. “You have to address me as my lady now.” She burst out laughing.
Stetho grinned and bowed, “My lady.”
“We are here to check on the incoming samples for textile manufacturing and file a request for a few of them to be sent over to textile research.”
“Oh, we have been getting some of those reeds and a lot of the seed pods.”
She kicked a little, and Etska set her down. “How about those floofy flowers or trees with the fibre buds?”
Stetho grinned and led her to the area of the warehouse with those samples, and she fluffed them out and examined them.
One of the assessors came in and scowled. “Forager Theena, I heard you were in medical. What are you doing here and not out with your team?”
Etska murmured, “Am I just invisible here?”
She laughed. “Assessor Yutan, this is the overseer. He has had me reassigned.”
“That explains the non-standard uniform.” He grinned, then paused. “Are you really out of foraging?”
The overseer answered for her. “Yes, she is.”
He was plastered against her back again, his arms around her.
“Oh, of course, my lord. I just thought that since she wasn’t classified as companion grade that she would remain managerial or labour classification.” Stetho shrugged.
“I have upgraded her classification.”
“Ah. Right.”
Athena chuckled. “I have been given the position of colony controller, so I will still be poking around.”
“What does that entail, my lady?”
She snorted. “Keeping an eye on all of this and prodding you in the spine if you start slacking on your management.”
He chuckled, and it came out a hiss.
She leaned back as Etska ordered the supplies to be brought to the research lab for processing. She felt lightheaded, and he picked her up.
“That is enough for today, Manager Stetho. We will return as things progress. The order for colonists has been placed, so we need to prepare for an incoming rush of five thousand.”
Stetho nodded. “How long do we have before they arrive?”
“Eleven months. They are being cold-shipped. We have time.”
Athena’s head was spinning, but she asked, “Cold-shipped?”
Stetho smiled. “Biological transport. Cold sleep chambers, they burn less oxygen and don’t eat. It also lets us bring them in when we are ready, and we won’t run out of supplies in the meantime.”
“Is it safe?”
Stetho chuckled. “I have been cold-shipped three times. Mind you, I used to be purple.”
She smiled. “Fine. Okay. I will stop worrying.”
She nodded against Etska’s shoulder.
He sighed. “And that is all for today. She’s still recovering from the K’liir purge.”
Stetho hissed. “She’s already running around?”
“She’s stubborn and strong. Glad to know she has limits, though. We will be talking to you soon, Stetho.”
Stetho bowed. “Take care of her, my lord. She is one of a kind.”
Etska chuckled. “I am aware of it. Good day to you.”
He carried her out of the warehouse and took off, back toward his home. Athena faded in and out as he flew. She blinked. “Why am I so tired?”
He landed and carried her into the building. “You lost half your blood volume when they got the toxin out of your system. They replaced most of it, but your body still has to populate the replacement with appropriate cells. Simply put, your body has been at work all day, and it is exhausted.”
She yawned and blinked. “I am not tired.”
He chuckled. “We will have dinner when you wake, but first, you are going to get more fluids into you, or didn’t you think it was strange that you haven’t needed the facilities?”
She let herself fall into the warm expanse of his bed. She slept and was woken up every now and then to drink a glass of watered juice. When she finally woke, she was still dressed, the suns had set, and Etska was sitting in a chair near the bed, reading a tablet.
“You were watching over me?”
He looked up with a smile. “You look better. Less grey.”
“Um. Thanks.”
He got up and poured another glass for her. He helped her with it, and she finally nodded. “Got it. Thank you.” She swallowed half of it and remembered, “My lord.”
He grinned. “We can skip the formalities when we are alone.”
She chuckled and swung her legs out of the bed. It seemed that her fluid levels were back on track. “Please, excuse me.”
He leaned forward. “Do you need assistance?”
She held out a hand and waved him off. “I swear to call you if I do.”
She got up and her skirt tangled with her legs as she took a few wobbly steps, but she made it over to the lav and back to the bed before her legs gave way.
Athena blinked at him. “Where did my strength go?”
“You used it up. Come on, we are going to get some food into you, and then, you can recover some more.” He picked her up again and carried her to the main floor where a dining room that could have hosted a banquet was waiting for just the two of them.
Melr was smiling as he came into the room. “Lady Theena, it is good to see you up.”
She looked at Etska and frowned. “How long was I out?”
He shrugged. “Two days.”
She was stunned. “What?”
“You were in and out of consciousness for two days. Your vitals have all stabilized, and the medics have given you clearance for normal activities. So, you are to have a meal, a bath, and then back to bed.”
She closed her eyes and remembered something. “You held me.”
“As often as I could. I was trying to make sure that my newest acquisition was still breathing.” His words belied the careful way he held her. “Your team is in the building, by the way.”
She perked up as he sat in one of the chairs. “They are here?”
“Yes, they can see you tomorrow after you are dressed and rested. For now, Melr has been working hard to figure out an invalid menu for you that is not completely appalling, so let’s eat.”
Melr brought in a cart and served soup that smelled heavenly. She wasn’t given the chance to sit on her own, but after the soup, there was bread, and after bread, there were thinly sliced vegetables that she recognized from her time foraging. The dessert was something that she wanted to spend private time with. There was custard, pastry, and some poached berry-fruit. She had the first two gone before Etska snagged the third, and she sighed in disappointment. To her surprise, she was literally growling as she watched the dessert disappear.
“I believe your people say, respect your elders.” When he finished popping the last of the pastry into his mouth, he tapped her nose while he mumbled.