Chapter Fifteen

D ante stared in awe at the clearing. Limbs from huge, old trees arched overhead, creating dappled islands of sunlight across the red-tinged grass. Because light from the planetary rings reflected through beads of dew, tiny rainbows danced through the shadows.

"Is this culturally appropriate for a picnic?" Regi asked.

"It's beautiful."

Regi ducked under a branch and got a scattering of dew down his neck that made him shake. "Given your description of a huuman picnic, I had hoped this would suffice."

"It's perfect."

Regi twitched. "Wishing for or claiming perfection is bad luck in Kowri."

The reminder they were from different cultures was jarring. And that reaction told Dante he had gotten used to thinking of Regi like a human. A fuzzy, cute, protective, powerful human, which made him better than most people he'd known. "Ah... humans use ‘perfect' to suggest we like something so much we wouldn't change it... it's only perfect for us."

Regi gave a single nod, but that didn't hide his discomfort. Mental note, stop claiming things were perfect, even when they were. The sun danced across Regi's fur as the leaves shimmied in the breeze. Perfect.

Regi knelt next to the container he had brought. He took out a silvery cover and spread it out, but instead of crushing the grass, the blanket turned taut like a canvas cot and hovered an inch or two above the ground. Then pillows started to inflate along the edges of the platform. If Kowri marketed this on Earth, they'd make a fortune.

Then Regi started unpacking the food Dante had retrieved from the galley. Dante crawled onto the platform and pulled out a few thermoses of soup, setting them in the middle. Peaches chittered before rolling off his shoulder and waddling toward the far edge. Through a gap between two large trees, Dante could see the town, Kowri bustling through streets and a wide park-like area with a huge climbing, jungle gym area built over a blue pool. The buildings were sandy stone and sun-bleached wood punctuated with brilliantly colored trims and flowerboxes so that from a distance the town looked like a postcard.

"The view here is amazing," Dante said, careful to avoid the word ‘perfect.'

"There are many such places inside the forest. They are intended for those who require time away from settlements. Individuals who want privacy with others will use these clearings, which is why we use the...." The translator failed.

"What was that last word?"

Regi patted the floating platform.

"Picnic platform," Regi said. A linguist would have to come up with a better translation later. It made sense that if Kowri often used this clearing, they needed something that wouldn't damage the grasses.

"Privacy with others? Do you mean lovers?"

Regi settled cross-legged next to Dante. "That is one family relationship that might use the forest. Parents may also bring children, but often individuals who are exploring the scope and scale of their relationship may choose to isolate themselves from others in order to explore potential compatibility."

Dante was still surprised when he realized how human-like the Kowri were. He'd expected his first aliens to be more... well, alien. Ean and Vk and Ter fit that description, but Regi never had. "My people call those places Lovers' Lane. Young lovers will drive a personal vehicle and then park it so that they can have privacy, only on Earth, teenagers hide their Lovers' Lanes."

Regi tilted his head to the side and settled back against the cushions. "Why would they hide?" He held out a six-fingered hand to invite Dante to move closer.

Dante was a little nervous about a floating, inflatable structure, but when nothing shifted, he relaxed. "Parents often disapprove of the young getting into relationships," Dante explained. He didn't want to go into the specific details of his father's vicious disapproval of most of Dante's partners.

"So, these places are for underage individuals?"

"No, plenty of-age individuals use them if they don't have a private apartment or if their parents make things difficult at home," Dante said.

Regi's heat soaked into his leg where they were no more than an inch apart. "If individuals are of age, why would the opinions of the parents hold sway?"

Dante raised his eyebrows. "Didn't your mother try to keep you in the Empire even though you were of age?"

"It is inappropriate to discuss unhappy matters when we are sharing time in such an auspicious place. This is a space for exploring togetherness, not expressing displeasure with others."

"That might be a good rule," Dante said. Regi had gone from relaxed and smiling to stiff, and that was not what Dante had wanted. He couldn't even wish for one stiff body part since inflatable body parts were not one of the traits humans shared with Kowri.

"So, what does it take to join the Coalition? I figure I might need to if we can't find Earth again." The alternative was staying in the Empire, and Dante would rather go with Regi and the others when they returned to Coalition space. Assuming Ter ever fixed their ship.

"No species may join a Coalition ship until their species needs and norms are determined, and if the species is found to have incompatible requirements, they are disallowed from serving," Regi explained. "I lied to the psychologist evaluating me because Kowri require play and I did not wish to go through the process to have my psychological needs quantified. I suspect my scheme only worked because the Coalition wanted me in the academy dorms so they could watch me. If they rejected me, they would have no control over me."

"I'm in favor of lying to governments that are getting too nosy," Dante said.

"Vk went through the exception process, and her description of the arduous process makes me believe my decision was correct." Regi rolled toward Dante so he faced him, and his hand moved up under Dante's shirt so the palm rested against his bare stomach. The food was in danger of getting knocked over, and Dante didn't care at all.

"Does Vk require play, too?" Dante asked, keeping up the conversation more out of a fear that silence would break the spell pulling them closer. He ran his hand up Regi's arm, the velvet of his fur warm under his palm. When he curled his hand around the back of Regi's neck, the fur was longer and softer.

"Her species requires a marriage group. Her desire to avoid one required exemption paperwork."

This was an odd conversation to have during foreplay, but Dante hummed his response and leaned close enough to press his lips against Regi's. Their bodies molded to each other, and Dante's cock was hard.

"Poor Vk," Dante whispered against Regi's ear.

"She had to undergo medical testing to demonstrate that she was not in a marital group and then complete psychological testing to demonstrate her dis-interest in joining one." Regi shifted on top of Dante, his weight pressing Dante into the cushions. Dante started breathing faster and slipped his hand inside Regi's pants in search of that hard, curved organ. The smell of spice from Regi's arousal filled the air .

That made Dante even harder and he squirmed.

"Are you discomforted?"

"No, definitely not," Dante said with a breathy gasp. He could feel slits along Regi's cock, and his fingers slid across the slicked skin. Regi growled. The sound vibrated through Dante's soul.

"Good," Regi whispered, his breath skimming across Dante's neck below his ear. He slipped his hand into Dante's pants, and his extra thumb gave him much better leverage. Dante thrust up into his grip, whining with need.

Regi gripped his waist so hard Dante knew he would bruise. Wonderful, vivid bruises. Glorious bruises. Sexy bruises he would poke until he got hard thinking about this moment. He thrust faster into Regi's tight grip. Then Dante felt a trickle of liquid from the penis slits and the scent of spice grew stronger. How had Dante missed such a delicious scent last time?

Dante came with a shudder that made his whole body turn to a giant, boneless noodle. A giant, boneless, overcooked, mushy noodle. A very happy one.

Regi collapsed next to him, breathing so hard that his nostrils flared, and Dante was panting. For a time, they lay and looked up at the sky through the patchwork of leaves dancing over their heads. Regi still had his hand down Dante's pants, and Dante rested his head on Regi's shoulder and soaked up the closeness. It had been so long since touch had been comforting. True, he'd had lovers and their lust-stained caress, but this was different. Dante had never felt like this.

Dante frowned. "Is your skin vibrating?"

"That is the communicator. That pattern suggests that a temple exalted is calling."

Dante propped himself up on an elbow. "Shouldn't you answer?"

"No. We are in the middle of a culturally significant picnic as we attempt to determine the levels of our compatibility, and given how much I hope for us to develop a relationship, I do not want to cut our time short."

"What if it's something about Ter?"

Regi tightened his hold. "Then they will wait until we have shared food. I understand the sharing of food is a vital part of the picnic."

Dante frowned, but hopefully Regi's mother would hold the fort because he did like the idea that Regi would put their relationship first.

"You're sure?"

Regi captured his hand and brought it up to kiss the palm. "The pattern is not one that communicates urgency. And you are more important than any non-urgent business the temple could hope to produce. Now, what food shall we start with? Is there a ritual or sequence required for the presentation of the food? I want to honor this ritual."

"Eating together is enough," Dante assured him. He was caught between wanting to enjoy their time together and wanting to rush through so they could get back to the temple. He worried about Ter. However, the temple never moved without at least a dozen debates, and it was nice under the trees in the company of someone who wanted him.

Ter could wait.

For a little while, at least.