[Snip] First Form, ongoing
A few moments later, they were in a dimly-lit observation lounge. Revil obtained a serving of high-energy drink from the dispenser and would have taken it, so far as Drevin could tell, right up to the “window;” still not entirely accustomed to the openness, Drevin called attention to a table about halfway in, and this compromise was accepted.
The lounge could hold three dozen, but was now nearly vacant, with only five or six other people scattered through it; it was quiet enough for Revil to be quite clearly audible despite speaking softly. “I gather, then, that you don't object to another male showing interest in you?”
Direct, wasn't he? Drevin felt his ears flush and furl back. Well, he was right in that they didn't really have time to be delicate about it. “No, indeed,” he said. “I haven't had much time to get used to it, really, but...” He shrugged. “I'm not completely new, either. I guess it goes without saying that you...?”
Revil held up a cautionary hand. “You'll find that most of my race put little weight on a partner's physical sex. Some do, but they will usually make their inclinations abundantly clear.” A crooked smile. “Learning that this was not the case for most other races has been one of the longer, harder lessons in my life.”
An entire race that didn't care whether a man had a romance with a man or with a woman? Drevin's mind boggled. “It's okay with me, though,” he reiterated. “And I've had some chance to be sure.”
Maybe something showed on his face, or maybe he said it a bit more wistfully than he'd meant. Revil's ears perked up, canting toward him. “You've someone... dear to you?”
Well, that got complicated, didn't it?
“Not... not quite that way,” Drevin sighed. “Flint is... special. He's one of the few people I knew from the Upper City who'd show some care for how I was doing - that's not all of it, but that's what got me to really notice him. He helped me see that it wasn't such a bad thing if a guy was into other guys. He even, uh... introduced me to some of the specifics.” He wasn't quite up to Revil's levels of bluntness, not willing to be frank about the feel of Flint's fingers on his shaft or the taste of the weasel's spunk on his tongue or... He shivered, bit his lip, and forged on.
“A week later, we were cutting across the city when a street gang noticed us together. Saw us holding hands. I went into a tram station to check the map, and when I came back out... he'd been dragged into an alley. They were just... just pounding on him. I shouted - it was all I could do. Sure got their attention, all right - I think I'd have been next, except that a pair of SLA patrollers heard me, too, and came by in time to break things up.”
“By all that is good...” The ermine's hand found his, settling atop it. “Did he...?”
“He's fine,” Drevin cut in. “He is now, anyway; I just got a message a few days back. But that whole mess is what made me realize... there was nothing for us on Varsfeldt. And obviously some places need the Authority's help.” He shrugged, staring down at the featureless black surface of the table. “Seemed like as good a thing to do with my life as any.”
Revil's fingers drew back; still next to his own, still close enough to feel the subtle heat from them, but not quite in direct contact. “I am sorry. I didn't mean to impose...”
“Hey...” It was Drevin's turn to put his hand on top of the other's. He managed a smile. “Sure, the guy's special to me. My first, probably the reason I'm here right now... But we're not promised to each other.”
The ermine's eyes were unreadable. “And you don't... seek to change that?”
Drevin shook his head. “Cling to the first guy who's nice to me? Tunnel-rat I may be, but even I know well enough to try meeting some other people first, Chief.”
“Well.” The ermine's hand turned over, giving Drevin's another squeeze in turn. “While we're off duty - and a break such as this is close enough - please, call me Sulik.”
The lounge could hold three dozen, but was now nearly vacant, with only five or six other people scattered through it; it was quiet enough for Revil to be quite clearly audible despite speaking softly. “I gather, then, that you don't object to another male showing interest in you?”
Direct, wasn't he? Drevin felt his ears flush and furl back. Well, he was right in that they didn't really have time to be delicate about it. “No, indeed,” he said. “I haven't had much time to get used to it, really, but...” He shrugged. “I'm not completely new, either. I guess it goes without saying that you...?”
Revil held up a cautionary hand. “You'll find that most of my race put little weight on a partner's physical sex. Some do, but they will usually make their inclinations abundantly clear.” A crooked smile. “Learning that this was not the case for most other races has been one of the longer, harder lessons in my life.”
An entire race that didn't care whether a man had a romance with a man or with a woman? Drevin's mind boggled. “It's okay with me, though,” he reiterated. “And I've had some chance to be sure.”
Maybe something showed on his face, or maybe he said it a bit more wistfully than he'd meant. Revil's ears perked up, canting toward him. “You've someone... dear to you?”
Well, that got complicated, didn't it?
“Not... not quite that way,” Drevin sighed. “Flint is... special. He's one of the few people I knew from the Upper City who'd show some care for how I was doing - that's not all of it, but that's what got me to really notice him. He helped me see that it wasn't such a bad thing if a guy was into other guys. He even, uh... introduced me to some of the specifics.” He wasn't quite up to Revil's levels of bluntness, not willing to be frank about the feel of Flint's fingers on his shaft or the taste of the weasel's spunk on his tongue or... He shivered, bit his lip, and forged on.
“A week later, we were cutting across the city when a street gang noticed us together. Saw us holding hands. I went into a tram station to check the map, and when I came back out... he'd been dragged into an alley. They were just... just pounding on him. I shouted - it was all I could do. Sure got their attention, all right - I think I'd have been next, except that a pair of SLA patrollers heard me, too, and came by in time to break things up.”
“By all that is good...” The ermine's hand found his, settling atop it. “Did he...?”
“He's fine,” Drevin cut in. “He is now, anyway; I just got a message a few days back. But that whole mess is what made me realize... there was nothing for us on Varsfeldt. And obviously some places need the Authority's help.” He shrugged, staring down at the featureless black surface of the table. “Seemed like as good a thing to do with my life as any.”
Revil's fingers drew back; still next to his own, still close enough to feel the subtle heat from them, but not quite in direct contact. “I am sorry. I didn't mean to impose...”
“Hey...” It was Drevin's turn to put his hand on top of the other's. He managed a smile. “Sure, the guy's special to me. My first, probably the reason I'm here right now... But we're not promised to each other.”
The ermine's eyes were unreadable. “And you don't... seek to change that?”
Drevin shook his head. “Cling to the first guy who's nice to me? Tunnel-rat I may be, but even I know well enough to try meeting some other people first, Chief.”
“Well.” The ermine's hand turned over, giving Drevin's another squeeze in turn. “While we're off duty - and a break such as this is close enough - please, call me Sulik.”