17. Jasmine

17

JASMINE

J asmine scrolled through the shoe selection on her favorite shopping app and wondered what kind of footwear Ell-rom would like. Jade wore combat-style boots, the gods had worn hiking and running shoes, and Kian wore dress shoes with slacks and a button-down dress shirt, sometimes with a suit jacket over it and sometimes without. Even on the cruise, she hadn't seen him in jeans.

She lifted her gaze to the peacefully sleeping Ell-rom and tried to imagine him in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, but the only thing popping into her mind was a medieval-inspired princely outfit in the style she'd seen in the Game of Thrones .

A mid-thigh velvet tunic in deep burgundy that was adorned with intricate gold embroidery and tailored to fit his slim frame. The leather trousers were black and snug and tucked into knee-high boots made of the finest hide with their glossy finish. She wanted to add a sleeveless coat made of some exotic fur, but since the Kra-ell did not kill the animals that they fed from, they would not have used fur or leather, for that matter.

Still, it didn't make sense for a nomadic, violent culture to make clothes from plant fibers. They might not have killed animals to eat them, but they did so for their hides. She was pretty sure of that, but perhaps she should ask before ordering Ell-rom leather shoes.

He'd fallen asleep before she could introduce him to the wonders of internet shopping, and if she waited for him to wake up before ordering, the shoes wouldn't arrive by tomorrow.

Perhaps Bridget knew whether the Kra-ell had a problem with leather goods.

Getting to her feet, Jasmine cast another glance at Ell-rom's rising and falling chest and walked out of the room.

She found Bridget in her office, looking at her computer screen with a deep frown on her face.

She knocked on the open door. "Are you busy?"

Bridget shifted her gaze away from the screen and smiled. "I'm just reading an article in Nature about the latest breakthrough in computational neuroscience. The math is too complicated for me to grasp, though. I should forward it to Kaia."

Jasmine had no clue what the physician was talking about, but she smiled and nodded as if she understood. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

Bridget smiled. "What can I help you with?"

"I have a silly question. Do the Kra-ell wear leather shoes? I want to order some for Ell-rom and I thought about his aversion to animal products. I don't want to order him something that he might find offensive."

Bridget frowned. "I'm not aware of them having a problem with that, but maybe their priests are not supposed to wear leather. I'll ask Jade for you." She pulled out her phone and typed a message so fast that her fingers were a blur over the screen.

As they waited for the return text, Jasmine remembered the other thing she needed from Bridget. "Do you have a measuring tape I can borrow? I want to get Ell-rom's shoe size."

"No need for that. I've got all his measurements right here." She tapped on her tablet. "I'm sending them to you."

A moment later, Jasmine's phone pinged with an incoming message, and when she opened it, she saw that Bridget had sent her much more than Ell-rom's foot size. She had all of his measurements, which would make ordering clothing much easier.

"Thank you. This will make shopping for him a breeze. I just need to find a calculator that translates measurement into apparel sizes."

The doctor nodded. "While you're at it, order him some swimming trunks. I want to start him on pool therapy tomorrow."

Jasmine's eyes widened. "Does that mean that you will allow me to take him up to the penthouse? There is a lap pool on the terrace."

Bridget chuckled. "Soon, but not yet. We have an Olympic-sized pool right here in the underground complex. The lap pool in the penthouse is a good idea for later when he gets stronger. I'm not expecting him to swim laps yet. I'm expecting him to do a few exercises in the water and waddle a little. That's all. It's an excellent way to build strength without putting too much stress on his muscles and joints."

"I see."

Jasmine was disappointed.

Ell-rom would have loved to see the sun and breathe some fresh air, even if it was the smog of downtown Los Angeles.

When Bridget's phone pinged with an incoming message, the doctor read it silently and then put her phone down. "There is no prohibition on leather. Hides and furs were common on Anumati when she was there, which was seven thousand years ago, so things might have changed since then, but the prince is from the same era."

Jasmine gave herself the proverbial pat on the back for guessing correctly. "I thought so, but I wasn't sure. Since they don't eat animal meat, killing just for the hides seemed less likely, but then I couldn't imagine nomadic tribes using plant fibers to weave fabrics."

"Evidently, they do, or at least did. Things might have changed."

She wanted to ask Bridget's advice about what to get for Ell-rom, but she had already taken up enough of the doctor's time, so she rose to her feet. "Thank you for the help. I appreciate it."

"Don't go overboard with the clothing," Bridget cautioned. "Ell-rom is going to bulk up once we get more food in him, and then everything other than the shoes will be too small for him."

"I don't know what to get him." Jasmine sighed. "What he will like."

"Simple leisure clothing that is loose and comfortable. He's still spending most of his time in bed."

"You are right. He was so exhausted after the little walk this morning that he's still sleeping."

Bridget nodded. "He's also a finicky eater. I found a vegan delivery service of healthy, protein-rich meals." She chuckled. "Kian must have taken after his uncle, being a vegan, I mean."

Jasmine's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

Bridget laughed. "No, not really. Kian wasn't always vegan. He decided to become one later in life for moral reasons." Her expression turned thoughtful. "Ell-rom's digestive system might be close to that of a human, but he might lack the enzymes necessary to process animal products. It is also possible that he's repulsed by them because of how he was raised. They could probably sneak some fruits and vegetables into the temple for him and his sister, but they could not cook for them, especially not meat. The smells would have given them away."

The more Jasmine learned about the Kra-ell society, the stranger it seemed. "It must be so different." She leaned against the doorframe. "So much of human interaction happens around shared meals. What do Kra-ell families do? Go hunting together?"

"I guess so," Bridget said. "It fits with their overall way of life. It also explains why they are not happy in the village. They need to go hunting."

The visual of that sent shivers down Jasmine's spine.

A bunch of vampire-like people attacking a herd and sucking its blood was not a pretty picture, even if they didn't kill the animals.

She was so glad that Ell-rom wasn't like them.

Shaking off the unsettling thoughts, Jasmine pulled out her phone. "I also need the delivery address. Should I order things to the penthouse?"

"You sure can." Bridget's finger flew over her screen again. "I sent you the address."

"Thank you." Jasmine's phone pinged a moment later. "I apologize for taking up so much of your time."

Bridget waved a dismissive hand. "I'm here to take care of the twins, and you are welcome in my office anytime you have a question regarding either of them or just if you need to talk to someone. What you are doing for Ell-rom is not easy, and we all appreciate it."

Jasmine dipped her head. "Thank you."