“Uh. Yes. Well, sort of,” Jade said, taken aback by the sudden question. “Maybe not as much as some of the other women.” She thought back to the smiling women who’d giggled while watching the sexy pirate.
Asivva continued to peer at her for a moment. Jade could almost feel her analytical stare running over Jade’s body, assessing her. Jade shifted nervously. Then, as if Asivva had come to a conclusion, she said, “If you’ll excuse me, I have to go and speak with someone about getting you some extra clothing. Your husband may have clothes waiting, but just to be on the safe side I’ll provide you with a few things in your size until you can pick out your own.”
“Wow. Thank you so much.”
“My pleasure.” Asivva nodded regally at her and then sauntered toward the door.
As Jade stared after Asivva, she was startled by a voice in her ear. “Isn’t she wonderful?”
Jade turned to find that Zikas had returned. Jade chuckled as she said, “She is something.”
The lights in the room dimmed.
“The Choosing is about to start,” Zikas said, his excitement palpable. “Come to the window. Take this as well.” He handed Jade a small pad of paper and a ruby-encrusted pen. “The males will be holding up numbers. When you see the males you want to choose, just draw their numbers here. I realize you can’t read these numbers, so just do your best to copy the symbols, alright?”
“Alright.”
“I’ll be standing back by the wall if you need me.” Zikas gave her a quick squeeze on her shoulder and then walked away.
One by one, the men came just as they had before, except this time they were holding symbols on small white cards. After they stopped in front of the one-way mirror long enough for the women to write their numbers down, they backed against the wall and waited.
Before long, the last man had presented his number and joined the waiting group of men. Altogether, the men gave a low bow and departed. Jade had done her best to copy her three choices, but Clecanian numerals were much more detailed than the numerals she was used to. Hopefully Zikas would be able to figure out what she’d meant to draw.
Jade closed the pad and walked toward Zikas.
“Now we’ll go to your room and talk about your choices!” Zikas said happily.
“Zikas, do you have any alcohol by chance? I could really use a drink right about now,” Jade asked.
“Oh, we do, but I’m sorry you can’t have any yet.”
“What? Why not?” she said, just stopping herself from whining. Nobody likes a whiner!
Zikas gently grabbed her elbow and guided her out of the room and down the hall once again. “Because you haven’t received your off-worlder health clearance yet.”
“What’s—”
Guessing her question before she had finished asking it, Zikas explained, “Right after we talk about your choices and I tell the men you chose that they’ll be moving on to The Testing phase, I’m going to take you to the doctor. They’ll give you various scans and heal any injuries or health-related issues they’re capable of healing. Since you’re an off-worlder, they also need to run a cross check of all ingredients and materials you may come in contact with, to make sure their chemical composition won’t cause you to have any reactions. It wouldn’t be good if on your first night as a Clecanian wife you died from a food you didn’t know was poisonous to you.”
Jade gulped as she realized she hadn’t considered any of that. “Suddenly I’m no longer thirsty.”
“We’re here!” Zikas said, motioning to a dark burgundy door.
The room behind the door looked like it was modeled after a spa from an ancient Indian palace. In every direction Jade looked, she saw vibrant gem-toned fabrics and pillows. The couch in front of her was overstuffed and plush. She wondered whether it’d be out of the question to ask her new husband, whoever he was, to bring it home with them.
To her right, Jade saw an enormous sunken stone bathing pool. Steam rose off the water in curls and beautiful purple flowers similar to water lilies floated on the surface. Jade gazed longingly at the tub. “Is that for bathing? I didn’t think you guys used water baths to bathe, only that weird foam.”
“Our planet is considered a Class 2 planet because we still live a little archaically compared to Class 1 planets. The cleansing unit is useful if you want to get clean in a hurry, but bathing in warm water is a luxury we don’t see the need to replace.”
Jade had noticed that many things she would’ve assumed would be automated on an alien planet were not. Many of the doors she’d used, for example, were normal doors you pushed to open. Clothing, while not tailored in a way she was used to, was surprisingly similar to clothing on Earth. She’d even been provided with thick underwear but unfortunately no bra.
The style of the city and the buildings also didn’t match her preconceived notions about what alien furnishings should look like. In her mind, the decorations of an advanced culture would be minimalist and geometric. Taking in the decorated, colorful room, she realized she’d been wrong.
A part of her relaxed. This might be an alien planet, but this room was close enough to home that she felt comfortable in it.
In the far-left corner of the room, Jade spotted Asivva. She was rifling through a rack of clothing and was so absorbed by her task that she didn’t hear them come in.
“Asivva. Is everything in order?” called Zikas as he walked quickly toward her.
Asivva glanced up and smiled. “Everything is wonderful. I’m excited to hear who she’s picked.” Asivva moved toward the couch and motioned for Jade to join her.
As Jade sat next to Asivva, Zikas retrieved an enormous cerulean blue box from a cabinet near the entrance. He then sat down in a large chair across from Jade and clapped his
