Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 03 Ch. 10

Billy gave hear arm a squeeze. With a bare murmur he replied to her question. "Any time hun, anytime. If you want to come to the office or comm. me do so. If you want to talk tonight we can do it later." Once he had replied and they were inside he gave her arm one more squeeze and let go. He moved over to Kingie and gave him a light hug before rubbing cheeks with him. "Looking good Kingie and ready for some fun?"

Billy turned and gave India a good hug as well before giving Holla one. "Dinner smells good and we brought some dessert. I am not going to tell you what it is but my ladies enjoyed it and I hope you do as well." Even as he was talking Z'Marl headed into the kitchen and tucked what she was carrying into the fridge and freezer.

Kingie grinned and hefted the cases he was carrying. "I was thinking maybe after dinner in case we need them. What do you think Yilly?" He had one shotgun, one pistol, and a sub-machine gun. Kingie had a general idea what that meant but since they used energy weapons he wasn't totally sure.

Billy gave him a slight smile. "That works for me." Tasha and Z'Marl wanted to groan at him which they knew would only egg him on. Sally narrowed her eyes at him and contemplated smacking both of them. As far as most of the others they just looked confused, or in the case of Holla a mock confused. Dani and Mizaki weren't there since they had decided they needed some time alone to talk.

Once they had settled down and had some drinks the young man in question showed up and walked in. When he had originally walked in there was a certain sense of smug satisfaction about how he walked and his expression. That didn't last long as he looked around and noticed all the people there. When he noticed Billy and Kingie his ears stood up in shock and then lowered. When he finally spoke it almost sounded like he was horrified. "Um, good evening everyone."

India walked over and gave him a light hug. "Hello Mallus. Let me introduce everyone. You know my mother Holla, this is Ambassador Yilly Madlax, his daughter Sally who is a companion to my father, Kingie, who is a warrior for the Embassy, Crystal, who is a mascot for Vangie's squad, and Satasha and Z'Marl who are the Ambassador's Leska and companion." She led him over to where everyone was and settled down.

Everyone gave the young male a polite smile and slight nod. From what they could smell the boy was both shocked and horrified by the group he was introduced to.

India, with a bit of help from Sally and oddly enough Crystal ran the evening. The boy managed to escape from what he obviously felt were the clutches of his demise shortly after dinner. He plead a need to be somewhere due to a family issue.

When he left, it wasn't just leaving, it was almost at a run India flopped back in her chair and hissed. "Thank god, I was waiting for him to leave. Would everyone like to meet the male I am actually chasing?" It was obvious she was not happy with the male who had run, almost screaming, from the house.

Holla heaved a sigh. "If he isn't willing to face the people in here thank Vartra for you letting him leave. Please if you have a better male in mind have him come over. I would really like to meet him." Chances were good India would want him in a day or two at the most.

India lowered her eyes and gave everyone a shy look. "I really do like him so please be nice to him." She stood up and walked out of the house but returned several minutes later. "This is J'Ethlaon and he is as you probably know one of the warriors for the Embassy. We met several weeks ago when I went to see Pappa."

The young man was actually somewhat older than Kingie though in rank he was junior to him. He lowered his ears when he looked at both Kingie and Billy. "I am pleased to meet everyone. India is a really nice person." It looked like he wanted to say something else but stopped himself from speaking.

Billy stood up and walked over and gave the young male a good hug. "Good evening J'Ethlaon and it is good to see you. I have heard good things about you." He stepped back and let the others welcome him. From what Billy could see the two of them did care for each other. How long it would last was up in the air since first matings didn't usually last that long.

~~~

When she had been invited over to Vangie's house Dani had considered it and decided not to. She and her Leska needed time to talk. As much as she hated to admit it knowing her father was down the hall in his Leska quarters did bother her. No he couldn't feel her emotions due to the heavy shielding but it was something she had to deal with. It would be rather like having sex in her father's house when he was home. Even if it was known about she wouldn't have been comfortable. With Billy gone she could talk to Mizaki and not feel constrained.

Even knowing what it meant she had asked him to come over to their rooms for a meal. It had been several link days and she couldn't leave the way it was. Both of them had been going to the training and it really did help. She was learning how to filter her thoughts from his and to keep his out for the most part. Dani knew that both of them had to keep some flow of thoughts and feelings between each other or they would run into link deprivation. That had been explained to them shortly after they had linked and it didn't sound fun at all. That and if it went on to long they would die. She really didn't like that idea.

They had to talk when they were being impacted by the link. Dani knew they couldn't keep going with the strained relationship they had. There didn't have to be love and to be honest she wasn't ready for a deep relationship like that. Yes she had a boyfriend at college but looking back to be honest with herself it was mostly for sex. Matt had been decent but he was a somewhat remote person who hadn't demanded a great deal of emotional intimacy. Looking back she had almost felt sad as she had realized that was the biggest reason she had started dating him. Dani had to admit that was a rather depression reason but there it was. She wanted some intimacy and contact but not a massive amount. She wanted to focus on school and getting her degree as soon as possible.

At that Dani had to smile slightly since she knew she was competing against her father and sister. Many years ago she had listened to her father talk about his time in college. He hadn't been bragging but he had almost casually tossed off how quickly he had achieved his degrees. When he had mentioned that she promised herself she would do as good or better. Considering she was already a good way through her bachelor's degree it was possible, or would have been back on earth. Her she had a whole new learning curve but it was a challenge and she was up for it.

That was the crux of the problem. Dani hadn't wanted anything more from Mizaki other than an enjoyable evening. Spending some time with him for a few weeks and have a simple friendly relationship was all she wanted. That first evening had put the kibosh on that whole idea. Now she was stuck in a permanent relationship which literally gave new meaning 'till death do us part'. That and she had no control over her fertility since tests had proven the BC she was using was no longer effective. Dani had a feeling she would have dealt okay if it had just been a physical link. Now in this case there was a mental link and that was still causing her problems.

As she was thinking about this she was working on dinner. She had decided to do a variation of her Daddy's chili for dinner along with some fresh bread and some side dishes. Everything needed was in the pot and simmering. It had been slowly cooking for a good portion of the day and damn but it smelled good. Dani glared at the pot since the smell was driving her nuts and it was all she could do to stay away from it. If she went near it she was going to start eating and that would ruin the evening.

When Dani glanced at the clock she almost wanted to scream and dance. Mizaki should be there momentarily. She almost hopped out of the chair and checked the table for the umpteenth time. Once she was, again, positive it was perfect she pulled a bottle of wine which had been recommended and opened it. Dani had been told it needed to breath for a short time before being served. As she was checking the table the door to their quarters opened and he walked in.

Dani had felt him approaching but still twitched slightly. She turned towards him and moved over. Since it was polite she lightly grasped his arms and stood on her toes to rub her cheek against his. "Good evening Mizaki. I hope you like the food. I tested it with Satasha and Z'Marl and they seemed to like it."

He felt her twitch and wanted to sigh but didn't. She seemed to be thinking very hard the last few days but had kept the filters up. Mizaki didn't know what Dani was going to talk about or why she had invited him over other than to talk. He assumed it was about their relationship, or lack their of, and how they were going to deal with it. It did sadden him that she had been so badly affected by the link. When she stood on her toes to rub her cheek against his he leaned over and returned the gesture. "Good evening and it does smell interesting. I have a feeling I will enjoy it." He gave her a light hug before stepping back. "You look lovely this evening."

Dani blushed lightly since she had gone out of her way to look nice for this evening. "Thank you Mizaki, you look very nice yourself. It looks like you have been well brushed for this evening." She moved back from him and towards the small kitchenette. "Please have a seat and if you would like pour the wine." For tonight one glass would be fine but no more than that. She started spooning the chili into the bowls and carried them over to the table. After grabbing a few more items she settled down in a chair he held for her.

Once she was seated Mizaki settled down across from Dani and gave a good sniff. It really did smell good and he couldn't wait. "Thank you for the meal Dani. I am very pleased to have been invited over for the evening." He slowly reached across the table and collected one of her hands and gave it a light squeeze. He gave her a grateful smile when she returned the squeeze. Mizaki leaned back and picked up the wine and took a sniff before a sip. "Very good vintage."

Dani had to blush again when he gave her hand a squeeze. "Stop that Mizaki. I now you are trying to make me blush just because you can." She picked up the glass and took a sip before sitting it down. "Now dig in and enjoy the food before it gets cold." Dani took a small spoonful and tasted it and grinned. "Thank you daddy for knowing how to make a killer chili." It was very good.

Mizaki lowered his ears when she chastised him and then grinned back at her. "But you look so cute when you blush." He started eating as well and it was darn good. Mizaki's ears perked up and he took a bigger bite and hit something spicy and twitched. "Something had a bite but darn it is good." He felt his stomach rumble since he was definitely hungry.

As they were eating they were quietly talking. For now it was inconsequential items since neither was ready to really talk about anything serious. There would be time for that after the meal. At one point he offered to refill her glass of wine and she shook her head. "No thank you, I want to talk and have a clear head when we do." She continued eating.

He raised an eye ridge before putting the bottle back and putting the cork back in. He would follow her lead for the evening. Eventually they were done eating. Mizaki stood up and started gathering the dishes. "I will take care of these if you wouldn't mind getting us something to drink as we talk." It didn't take him very long before the dishes and food was put away.

By the time he was done Dani had curled up on one of the couches. She patted the cushion next to her. "Please have a seat Mizaki. I want to talk to you and it is important." Once he sat down next to her Dani leaned against him and pulled his arm around her.

Mizaki twitched one of his ears. "My that sounds concerning. Should I be worried?" He settled down next to Dani and wrapped his arm around her at her insistence. Once they were settled and touching he started sensing concern from her. "What do you need to talk about Dani? I can feel concern and worry coming from you."

Dani sighed and closed her eyes as she leaned against him. "I had an appointment this morning. I am pregnant Mizaki."

~~~

When Satasha walked into their quarters she had to stop and frown. There was some square paper thing on the floor. Why she wasn't sure but Billy was sitting on a couch looking slightly amused. When she tried to sense his thoughts or emotions he was blocking the link for the moment. Satasha glowered at him since she had a feeling this was a joke pointed directly at her. Since she wasn't about to ask him she looked at the empty square paper thing and walked around it. It wasn't huge but it wasn't small either.

After one more glare at him she checked the box again and even went so far as to poke at one or two of the sides. Every now and then she was looking at Billy and he kept that really annoying knowing smirk on his face. Satasha finally glared at him again before going to get herself something to nibble on and drink. When she finished that she went back to the paper thing and glowered at it. She finally gave up. "Okay Yilly what the hell is this and why is it in our quarters?"

Billy simply smiled at her. "It is an empty paper box. Cats on my world seem to love them and I thought you might like it as well." He didn't say anything more than that and simply smiled at her.

~~~ Have Ike catch the virus?

~~~ More about the crew aboard the Sandi

~~~ Intro to the warriors families as a group?

~~~ Dani and Mizaki

~~~ Crystal and the gardens, do something with her maintaining them.

~~~ Sholans and boxes?

~~~ Billy and the temple wedding?

~~~ Billy and his account balance