The chanu zayul choosing to lodge within her spine was unprecedented, and Jotaha’s tone when he spoke of the reaction other yan-kanat had to it carried a warning. Not all the citizens of Draku Rin would be impressed that she had been “honored.”
Left to her own devices, she puttered around the pod, bored and out of sorts, until she heard a high-pitched voice calling her name from behind the entry door flap.
Surprised and intrigued, although also cautious, she pulled aside the flap to find Farona standing at the entry. She would recognize the female anywhere, scales or not. The beauty of the other female, and her slender delicacy, made Sarah feel heavy and unfeminine in comparison. The soft, tinkling voice of Jotaha’s lifelong bestie and erstwhile lover didn’t help diminish that feeling.
“Greetings, Sarah. I can see you are surprised by my visit. It appears Ha-tah failed to tell you I would call on you.” She huffed, shaking her head. “Poor Ha-tah. He is clumsy with females. Focused too much on his duty and not enough on their tender feelings.” Her lips tilted upwards at the corners. “It is so typical of males. Are your nixir men the same?”
Sarah pulled her gaping jaw closed, her mind spinning to find a response to this woman. She tucked away the name “Ha-tah” to ask Jotaha about later, not wanting to reveal to Farona that she was unfamiliar with it. It was probably an endearment of some sort, though her bug translators provided no translation of its meaning.
“I… Uh… yes, um… human men are often the same.” She felt like she was babbling, standing at the door in one of Jotaha’s tunics that she had slept in, which hung on her frame like a dress almost reaching her knees.
Farona was dressed in a toga-style length of fabric clearly made of some kind of silk and woven in colorful, stunning designs. She was elegant from her sandaled, dainty feet to the narrow, delicate head spines that adorned her head.
Farona huffed again in a way that Sarah now understood to be amusement for the yan-kanat. “It figures. We are not that different from the nixirs, despite what my fellow yan-kanat will tell you.” Her slit-pupil gaze studied Sarah with open curiosity, and Sarah couldn’t see any open hostility in her expression. “You know, I have always been fascinated by the nixirs. I always thought it was a pity this generation had no nixir drahis to learn from. I imagine your world and culture are very exciting!”
Her gaze shifted from Sarah’s face to the pod interior behind Sarah. “Would you mind if I come in?” She glanced from side to side, then returned her gaze to Sarah. “I feel a bit exposed standing out here. There are some who would disapprove of my presence here.”
Sarah stood aside, holding the flap open for Farona. Her alarm bells were going off, but not because of anything in Farona’s demeanor. It was more that she wouldn’t be so quick to trust a human female who just got dumped for her, not that it had ever happened to her before. “Sure. I’m sorry I’m not dressed for entertaining.”
Farona’s gaze circled the room, her lips twisting in obvious disdain. “Ha-tah,” she sighed, shaking her head. “This place is unfit for his drahi. So dingy and ugly. I cannot believe he brought you here instead of requesting that the temple keep you housed until your ceremony.”
“Uh… listen, uh, Farona. This is a bit… awkward, honestly. I’m not—”
Farona turned back to face Sarah, holding up one hand. “Please, I know you are concerned about my motives. I understand that nixirs often stab each other in the back, so it is not surprising that it is difficult for you to trust others. But you will learn that this is not the yan-kanat way. We all revere Seta Zul, and trust in her wisdom. If she has chosen another for Ha-tah, then I will honor that choice. I love him and only want him to be happy, and that means welcoming you into our city and introducing you to our circle.”
She bowed her head briefly in what Sarah took to be a respectful posture as she lowered her hand. “There will be a time when Seta Zul chooses a mate for me, and I eagerly await that time, but for now, I can do my part in helping my oldest and dearest friend, by welcoming his mate.”
She lifted her eyes to meet Sarah’s. “Please, let me help you, Sarah. There is much that you will need to know, and Ha-tah is focused on male concerns and does not understand what females need to make them feel at home.”
Her tone sounded sincere and her words were earnest. Sarah still had a hard time trusting her, but she knew that was, indeed, a human failing. Especially when it came to dealing with cast-aside lovers. Still, she could certainly admit that Jotaha had left her to her own devices with far too little information about the city and what she could do by herself until he returned.
“We must go shopping, immediately,” Farona said as if she sensed Sarah wavering. She tsked as she studied the oversized tunic hanging on Sarah’s frame. “There are clothing makers who can alter their dresses to fit your… unique build, or,” she lifted her arm to show the swath of fabric that hung over it,” you can choose a wrap like this, which will fit any form nicely.”
“As much as I’d love a little shopping trip, I don’t have any… well, whatever is used for money here.”
Farona’s dismissive snort somehow managed to sound feminine and elegant. “Jotaha has plenty of kivan in his coffers, given his sacrifice for Draku Rin, but for this cycle, I would like to purchase your wares, as a gift to my friend and his future drahi. It is customary for family and friends to provide gifts to the mating couple,” she said quickly as Sarah opened her mouth to reject the offer.
Noting Sarah’s hesitation, she continued, “I assure you, I also have plenty of kivan in my coffers, as well as a good relationship with most of the vendors in this city. I provide many of their wares through my craft-rooms. They will give me excellent deals. Far better than they would give Jotaha or you.”
Farona might be slender, graceful, and delicate, but she had an aura of steely resolve to her that Sarah couldn’t help but admire, even as she knew she was being subtly bullied into agreeing to let Jotaha’s former lover pay for her stuff. It was possibly the most alien part of this culture she’d encountered yet. Not to mention the one that made her most uncomfortable.
Sarah’s unease faded as Farona proved to be an enchanting companion, readily answering her many questions about the city as they strolled through the wing district. Strangely enough, the looks she got as she traveled with Farona were friendlier than those she’d received the previous evening with Jotaha. It was as if Farona’s presence was an endorsement of Sarah’s place among them.
She learned that Farona owned a series of “craft-rooms” which were the equivalent of workshops, filled with employees that labored to create many beautiful fabrics to supply the clothiers around the city, as well as many of the statues and carvings that filled the marketplace. She even employed brewers to supply some of the fermented beverages, treating Sarah to a delicious breakfast at a spotless food stall that featured one of her craft-room specialties—a light, carbonated fruity drink that tasted of the anetaak berries that lent their sweetness to much of the foods the yan-kanat ate.
She was a hard-nosed entrepreneur, bargaining with the ease and skill of someone accustomed to negotiating the best prices. She paid the vendors with mother of pearl shells, much like the ones that had adorned the dress Jotaha had given Sarah in the caves, what seemed like so long ago even though it had happened fairly recently.