Tycho laughed. “You can pass on activities?”
“Sure. I just need an understanding of the active’s manifestation. Venom is difficult and easy at the same time. It is chemistry and biology. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but once I developed the instinct for it, I passed it along.” She smiled. “Well, now that dinner is over, I need to find a place for Susa and me to stay.”
Torun smiled. “Stay with me.”
Tycho and Ryma looked from Torun to Zera. Tycho said, “He does have a lot of room. We crash there a lot when we don’t want to go back to our base.”
Susa got up and hugged her. “It sounds like as safe a place to be as anything else. Come on, let’s go.”
Zera blinked. “You seriously want to go?”
“I want a nap, with sheets, a pillow, and I want to let myself settle into this body. You know how it goes.”
“Fine. Whatever you want, Susa. I will pack some small bags for us. Back in a moment.”
Ryma smiled. “Can I come look? I always wondered what your wardrobe was like.”
“Sure. This way.”
Zera led her into Susa’s changing area. “Two has a fairly extensive wardrobe and hasn’t used half of it. We need to get some comfortable items that she can rest and lounge in.”
She typed in the criteria, and a selection of clothing was sorted out and came toward her in an open closet. “We pick what we need for the evening. You guys are pretty good about making your decisions on what you want us to wear, and then, we put it on.”
“This screen is a catalogue?”
“It is.”
“Wow. Did you design all this?”
Zera brought up the underwear collection and packed the bag. “I did. When I was ten. I have been designing tech for a while, but that is what I was born to do, it seems. That and have a crush on Torun.”
“A crush? You two are in love with each other.”
“Yes.” She smiled and finished the toiletry set. “Right, now let’s do me.”
“Oh, yes, let’s.” Ryma smiled.
They left Susa’s changeroom and went into Zera’s. Zera grabbed a bag, and she ordered her underwear first. Ryma eased in past her and made a few more lingerie selections before Zera snorted and got some business clothing as well as a bit of casual.
She included a few creams and her favourite shampoo and closed up the bag. “That’s it. No more silliness.”
Ryma hugged her. “I am so happy you are going to his place.”
“Why?”
“You will see.”
With that taunt, they joined the others and got in the lift to descend. It was about to get busy for the evening, so it was best that they didn’t freak out the escorts. Not everyone was as calm as Fifteen.
Chapter Twenty
He was still within range of summoning a transport by twenty feet. “That is pretty close.”
Torun shrugged. “It was on your list.”
Tycho and Ryma chuckled.
“My list?” Zera was confused.
Torun opened the main doors. “Six years ago, we were together, and I asked what it would take for you to move in with me. You went into detail, and you might have been a little drunk. This is the house that those ramblings created.”
Susara caught on before Zera did. “You built her a house?”
“I had it built for her. I wanted a place we could meet that wasn’t always a hotel or restaurant.” He opened the door and invited them in.
Zera was the last to enter. She hesitated and stepped over the threshold and into his arms.
Tycho said, “I will take Susara to a guestroom. Where should I take Zera’s bag?”
“Our room.” He looked down at her and smiled.
She blinked. “Our room? We have a room?”
“And a very big bed for when Ryma and Tycho join us.”
She chuckled. “You seem pretty confident that it is going to happen that way.”
“You can get a transport. I have vehicles in the garage. Communications are easy, and I have a secure system ready for you to work from.” He rubbed his hands over her back. “I have questions that I would like you to answer.”
“Sure. What would you like to know?”
“I think we can take a quick tour, and then, we can talk in the bedroom.”
She sighed in disappointment. “You actually mean to talk. Fine. Show me your castle.”
He kept an arm around her as he showed her the great room, the pool, games room, gym, kitchen, dining room, guestrooms, and finally, the main bedroom. There was a walk-in closet, and to her amusement, two adjoining bedrooms. Ryma’s and Tycho’s touches in the rooms were unmistakable.
“You guys puppy pile?”
“Not yet, but with you here, probably sooner rather than later.” He smiled, and she caught the deeply happy glow in his eyes.
“What questions did you have?”
“Who was Mentor to you?”
She blinked. “What?”
“I put an audio tracker on your suit, and I heard you discussing things. It was a confusing conversation, and it left me with questions.”
“I doubt you found it confusing.”
“Indulge me. Who was he to you?”
Zera looked at her lover. “He was my brother. We shared the same birth species but no genetics. We arrived in a clutch about a hundred years ago, fell to earth from a seeding species, and we remained developing but mostly dormant until thirty years ago when a researcher found us and brushed against our eggs. That changed us into creatures who looked human. We hatched, and they had six children on their hands. One little girl and five little boys. All curious with aspects of power. We were taken to a research facility and kept in isolation until I saw a purple prince walking through the facility. I had to touch you, and when I did, I understood all of your potential.”
She shrugged. “You were the prettiest thing I had ever seen, and to me, you still are. Convention being what it is, I had to wait until I was an adult,
