Candidate (Selected Book 4) (17 page)

"I'm sorry. That was a joke. My home is in Minneapolis. You meant my cell."

"I didn't want to use that word," she said softly.

"It's fine," I said. It wasn't, but I didn't think she'd help me out of the jam I was in, so there was no good to come from berating her about it. "Do I have to leave now?"

"I want to talk to you about something."

I smiled. "We've been talking. Did you leave the important conversation until the end?"

"Yes."

I laughed.

"Did you enjoy our challenge today?"

"Is that really what we're about to talk about, or are you skirting the edges." I had to explain that phrase.

"Skirting the edges," she admitted.

"I enjoyed competing with you," I said. "I would do that again. I would not care to do that exact challenge again."

"Because I hurt you."

"Because it was the nature of the challenge for us to hurt each other. I will not do any further challenges based on that premise. If I find myself facing any more, I will immediately concede."

"You would accept other challenges?"

"I would," I said. "Perhaps not every day. But yes, I would."

"Some species require these challenges," Jessica said. "For some, it is part of their biology. For others, it is a deep part of their culture, so deep it may as well be biology."

"And Ardents?"

"We do not require this."

"Then why do you do it?"

"You're going to think this is horrible."

"Just tell me."

"It's fun," she said. "And we're good at it. We're good in the arena, and we're good in the challenges. We do not get enough women who offer themselves willingly, and so if we wish a mate, we must fight for one."

"I see," I said. "Did you enjoy our challenge?"

"I enjoyed the competition. But I began to feel very bad. If you were a warrior, I would not have felt bad." I didn't have a response to that. "Andromeda, I always thought I wanted a warrior for a mate."

"I know. A male warrior."

"Yes, but... there are difficulties. I do not want a human male, warrior or otherwise."

"Are there choices from among the Ardents?"

"No."

"Life is filled with choices, Jessica. You give up something here but you gain something there."

"I might want a human female."

"Do you find human females physically attractive?"

"I like holding you," she replied.

"I like holding a puppy dog," I said. "I don't want to marry one."

"I think I like holding you differently than you like holding a puppy dog. But do you like when I hold you?"

"Am I acting like I don't want to be here?" I asked.

"No. I want to do more than this."

"More. I am not sure how much more I will allow on a first date."

"You agreed I could hold you however I wanted."

"Yes, but you assured me it wasn't a euphemism."

"Oh. You thought I just asked for sex?"

"I wasn't sure. You said more."

"I just meant. I want to hold you... more."

"That we can do," I said. I turned around, sliding out from under her arm, but then I smiled and crawled onto her lap, laying my head against her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around me, and I sighed. "Is this what you meant?"

"Yes," she whispered.

We stayed like that for a while, then I whispered, "If you want to touch, you may touch."

"I am touching," she said.

"You are being very careful where you place your hands."

"I do not want to offend you."

"I crawled into your lap, Jessica. That by itself is permission for more, but you must be gentle."

She didn't say anything and at first she didn't move, but then one of her hands shifted to rest on my ass. I sighed, smiled, and clung to her more tightly.

We didn't move for a long time after that.

The guards returned me to my cell but were gone before the visor let me see. A moment later, words appeared.

We have an agreement. You are now in your cell for the night.

I sighed and undressed. There were no replacement clothes. "What do I do with these?" I asked.

In response, the nook opened. I set the clothing inside, and it disappeared.

"Are you watching me, Jasmine Brighteyes?"

No.

"Funny. Call me, please."

It only took a moment before I received an inbound call. We connected. "You are such a voyeur," I said. "A peeping Thomasina. A... um. I don't even know what to call you."

"Is this why you asked me to call you, Andromeda?"

"No, but I had to get that out of the way." I moved to sit on the bed. "Do you have a few minutes?"

"A few."

"I want blankets."

"No."

"I bet you could make
clear
blankets."

She didn't repeat her denial, at least not immediately. She paused, then asked, "Why?"

"I am from a cold climate. I never sleep uncovered, not even in hot weather. It makes me uncomfortable. And now I think you're going to make me be naked in here a lot, and I don't do that, either."

"The visor can make you sleep. These concerns are irrelevant."

"They're relevant to me. I am being exceedingly cooperative."

"And I am treating you exceedingly well for a mating candidate."

"This is a simple request, Administrator. You should grant it. It costs you nothing and it gains you good will."

"I have given you privileges I have never given another mating candidate. And of the ones I have given other mating candidates, I have made all of them earn these privileges. But you want them handed to you."

"Do you want a fight about how completely you violate our rights, Administrator?" I asked. "Do I need to iterate everything that is wrong with how you treat us?"

"No. But I have reasons for my choices."

"I'd love to hear them."

"Maybe someday you will. Ms. Hayes, when you arrived here, you arrived with very few of your rights intact. You have the right to be treated as gently as you allow-"

"Except, apparently, during challenges."

"You have the right to be well fed. You receive good health care if you need it. But after that, anything else you receive is a privilege at my discretion. Do you understand?"

"I understand you have the power to enforce your choices," I said. "I do not agree you have the moral right to them."

"Perhaps you are right about that, but I don't have a problem making decisions when moral ambiguity is involved. Is this why you wished to talk?"

"No." I paused. "Why did Jessica Maple ask me on a date?"

Her tone changed entirely. "Was it a good date?"

"In a way. It was a confusing date. She doesn't know what she wants."

"I imagine that's why she asked. She is exploring options."

"Will she be going back to New York now that her squad mate has won his challenges?"

"She has not indicated otherwise to me," Jasmine replied.

"If she invites me for future dates -- or challenges -- I will accept if I have an agreement with you."

"For blankets?"

"I do not care for more challenges that hurt as much as today's, and I don't want the results to be a foregone conclusion."

"You did well today, Andromeda," she replied gently.

"Yes, but in the end, it hurt a great deal."

"So if your chances mirrored yours this afternoon?"

"I didn't think I had a chance, so I was surprised. But I'll point out I didn't come remotely close to winning, either."

"Dark Skies offered almost a perfect handicap," Jasmine explained. "I cannot make promises on your chances to win, and I cannot promise you won't occasionally be hurt, but you won't fight with power staffs again, or anything like them. I don't promise no combat at all, but the weapons would be padded. As you can guess, certain types of challenges are popular."

"I do not believe it is fair I lose the
right
to wear clothing when my chance of winning is so low."

"Which is why you have been given odds," Jasmine replied. "You lose a
privilege
for one day but you gain a
privilege
for three."

I considered carefully. "All right," I said. "For now. Now we have the real reason I asked you to call me."

"Jessica Maple was not the real reason, or your desire to call me a voyeur?"

"Are you still watching me, Jasmine? I think if you get to see mine, I should get to see yours."

"We'll see about that," she replied.

"Administrator Brighteyes, you have at least two personnel issues, and depending upon how you count it, three."

She paused then said softly, "I know."

"Dark Skies talked to me at length."

"I know. Please do not be offended, but I monitored your call."

I sighed. "Of course you did. Do we need to discuss it?"

"Her heart is in the right place."

"It is," I agreed.

"Octals are unaccustomed to dealing with conflict or determining motivational tools. She would be good at the technical aspects of an event coordinator, but not the relationship aspects."

"And so?" I asked.

"I believe I will tell her I need her doing what she is good at."

"Clover," I said. "I know you can't release her without a replacement, but could you give her some time off? You're near the end of your two-week cycle."

"This is our busiest time. We're preparing for our next cycle."

"Can you teach me?"

"Not in a few days."

"What about by the end of the next cycle?"

"Are you offering in anticipation of a negotiation?"

"Excuse me?"

"Perhaps you expect additional
privileges
." She stressed the last word.

"You're the one offering to tie disparate conversations together, Administrator, not me. Do you want my help or not? Can you teach me or not?" I sighed. "Are the files, or whatever you need to do, even in English?"

"I can teach you," she replied. "I don't know if I can teach you before the end of the next cycle. But teaching you takes time, and I need to know you aren't going to consume that time and then not help."

"I will ignore the insult to my integrity, Administrator. Between the two of us, who will win a battle of wills?"

"If we enter into such a battle, there are two losers, Andromeda. You would lose more than I would, but we both lose."

"Do you want to teach me or not?" I asked crisply.

"Yes, I want to teach you."

"I won't blackmail you, Administrator. I consider my job and my status as your unwilling mating candidate separate."

"Do you intend to swim in the morning?"

"I can be flexible."

"Could you swim before breakfast?"

"Yes."

"I'll see you after breakfast. Good night, Andromeda."

"Good night, Jasmine."

* * * *

A few minutes later, I lay on my back, incredibly self-conscious without any clothing or blankets. "She could have let me have the blanket," I muttered.

The lights were a little bright, and I'd found no way to control them. But I realized I could do a great deal with the visor, and so I searched for the brightness controls. I discovered not only the visor had brightness controls, but they were actually quite smart. I could program a different brightness based not only on time of day, but location and even my orientation.

I told it I were in my cell and lying down, to dim the lights significantly. And it did.

And that was when I noticed I had an unobtrusive green dot in the upper left corner. It had been there all day, and I'd never gotten to it. I had new mail, and it had been there all day.

I opened mail. There were three letters waiting for me, one from Cherish, the Tutor I had met swimming. The other two were from Soft Rain, the female Wookie.

I read the one from Cherish first.

Andromeda Hayes,

I found pleasure in our swim today. Would you welcome my company for future swims?

Cherish

I wrote back.

Hello, Cherish,

My apologies for the delayed response. It has been a busy day, and I am still growing accustomed to the visor. I only now read your email.

I also enjoyed your company. Yes, I would welcome future company, either in the pool or elsewhere. I will be swimming earlier tomorrow, before breakfast, but do not know my schedule after that.

I hope I'll see you, if not tomorrow, then another day.

Andromeda

Then I opened the two emails from Soft Rain, the Wookie.

Andromeda Hayes,

It was my pleasure to meet you today.

Soft Rain

Well, that was short and sweet. Her second was only slightly longer.

Andromeda Hayes,

Thank you for your help today. Fine Mist finds his mating candidate quite enchanting, and she has already made encouraging comments to him. I am nearly as pleased as he is, and I believe she is also pleased.

We watched your challenge this afternoon. You fought well and far better than Fine Mist and I expected. While you did not win, I still congratulate you for a fine performance.

I wonder if you would accept a similar challenge from me.

Soft Rain

I read that through twice, thinking carefully. Then I crafted my reply.

Hello, Soft Rain,

I apologize for the delay. I am still learning to use the visor.

I wish to say something about Emma. She has had a difficult life. If your brother treats her with kindness and love, I believe she will be positively responsive. She requires safety, security, and someone who will not misplace her trust.

I enjoyed our time together, and I would enjoy more of your company. But I wish clarification. Are you inviting me to a challenge for the joy of competition? Or are you inviting me to a challenge as a portion of spending time together?

If only the former, then I will accept if we can find challenges more suited to both of us.

If the latter, then I am somewhat more flexible, and I would enjoy spending time with you.

Either way, I do not care for more challenges exactly like today's. The power staff hurts and I am not a warrior.

You are in my thoughts,

Andromeda

* * * *

The visor woke me gently. I opened my eyes, still lying on my side, and immediately I saw I had new mail.

I'd programmed the visor to offer it's most insistent indicator, but I would be turning that down. A flashing mailbox in the dead center of my vision was annoying.

I had email from Jessica, Cherish, Soft Rain, and Dark Skies. Jessica thanked me for last night, admitted she was confused with her desires, but asked if I would accept another challenge and subsequent evening together for the day after tomorrow. I read the other emails then replied. "I can't wait."

Cherish confirmed she would see me at the pool.

Dark Skies thanked me for our conversation yesterday and invited me to lunch today. I replied with, "I do not know what Administrator Brighteyes has in mind for me, but I would enjoy a shared meal any time our schedules mesh."

Soft Rain wrote:

Hello, Andromeda,

My desire is for the latter. I would like a challenge followed by shared time together. Would you be available today? Will you let our challenge be a hunt?

Soft Rain

I smiled.

Good morning, Soft Rain,

I do not know my schedule, but I will accept your challenge whenever Jasmine Brighteyes allows. I presume you wish me to hunt you, and I will be given some sort of net gun to use when I catch you.

For any challenge between us, I require a sufficient advantage as to have a fair chance to perform well.

For terms, if you win our challenge, then I am yours for the evening. If I win, then you are mine.

I look forward to seeing you,

Andromeda

I read that through a few times before mailing it. I knew she really meant she intended to hunt me, but I enjoyed the idea of teasing her.

Finally I sat up, stretched, and then realized the nook was open. A robe waited for me. I climbed to my feet and collected the robe, hugging it for a moment. "Thank you, Jasmine."

I slipped it on and padded to the glass wall.

* * * *

My locker contained a surprise. Two surprises, actually. Hanging neatly were two swimsuits, one a bikini, the other a one piece. I stared at them then pulled them both from the locker, and like I had with the robe, I hugged them to me, caressing my face with the fabric of the one piece. I felt myself on the edge of tears, which I shoved back only because it was ridiculous. She let me have a swimsuit. It was no big deal.